On Earth, the two confident countries—India and South Korea—come together to create many remarkable events.
Recently, Samsung's factory in India provided us with a typical case, showcasing the striking demands made by Indian workers regarding their working conditions and treatment.
On September 9, 2023, a massive strike broke out at Samsung's factory in Tamil Nadu, India, where over 1,000 workers put forward three quite astonishing demands and threatened to refuse to work if these demands were not met.
This strike has drawn widespread attention, and many, upon seeing these demands, couldn't help but defend Samsung, as the workers' requests seemed excessively unreasonable.
Firstly, the workers' first demand is to work 7 hours a day, with a maximum of 5 days a week.
For many, this demand might seem somewhat reasonable.
However, considering the economic background of India, this request appears overly extravagant.
In many countries, including some developed nations, a workweek of 35 hours or even less is considered an ideal situation.
In India, Samsung currently implements an 8-hour workday, working 6 days a week, which is already a form of preferential treatment for workers.
Secondly, the workers demand a 100% wage increase, wishing to raise their monthly salary from 3,000 rupees to 6,000 rupees.
It is worth noting that the average local wage is only 1,600 rupees, and Samsung's wage offering is already relatively high.
Thus, such a demand is difficult to understand, and can even be seen as unattainable.
This request from the workers not only reflects their dissatisfaction with the economic situation but also exposes a serious misjudgment of their own value.
The third demand is even more absurd: the workers hope for hereditary positions.
This means they believe that quality job positions should be passed on to their descendants, a notion that is extremely unusual in any country.
Work should reflect individual capability and be an achievement earned through personal effort and struggle, rather than simply inherited through family ties.
So, why would Indian workers propose such strange demands?
This is closely related to deep-seated cultural and social views in India.
First, in Chinese culture, a happy life needs to be fought for through one’s own efforts.
If I am not born into wealth, I must strive to become wealthy.
In contrast, in India, the social class system and caste system lead many people to believe their fate is predetermined.
The caste system is deeply rooted in India, making it difficult for those of high caste to fall and nearly impossible for those of low caste to rise.
This system instills in many from a young age the idea that “fate is fixed,” leaving them without hope of changing their destinies.
Due to this background, many prefer to settle for the status quo, seeking job opportunities that can be passed down.
Their logic is that since they cannot break through the constraints of social class in this lifetime, it is better to find a relatively stable path in their current job.
Such thinking may seem ridiculous to us, but it does have its reasons within the social context of India.
Additionally, India's industrial development faces many difficulties, leading to a general lack of quality and responsibility among workers.
India's manufacturing sector is essentially a microcosm of the entire Indian industry.
Most Indian workers adopt a “just getting by” mentality, which is closely tied to the social environment.
Due to social class and caste limitations, many workers, even if they work hard, find it difficult to realize their value.
The lack of a sense of achievement often leads to a negative attitude toward work, causing them to slack off on the job, which in turn affects the efficiency of the entire manufacturing sector.
From another perspective, India's industrial system itself has serious issues.
Firstly, India's internal economic structure is extremely fragmented, with disparities in language, transportation, and power supply severely constraining industrial development.
For example, India has over 1,600 languages, making inter-state communication even more challenging than international communication.
In terms of transportation, some wealthy states have relatively well-developed infrastructure, while some poorer states lack even the most basic gravel roads, leading to high transportation costs.
The power issue is similarly serious; many areas often face power outages, while Chinese companies generally enjoy 24-hour uninterrupted power supply, making it extremely challenging for many foreign companies to operate in India.
Such unstable infrastructure makes survival for businesses in India a significant challenge, let alone achieving efficient industrial production.
In addition to infrastructure issues, the prevalence of counterfeiting in India is also severe.
This phenomenon not only undermines foreign investors' confidence in the Indian market but also significantly damages India's business image.
For instance, in 2021, The Economist conducted an investigation into India's economic data and found that Indian banks commonly had false accounts, even classifying cow dung as high-end fertilizer production to beautify economic statistics.
This kind of falsification aimed at boosting GDP has led foreign companies to harbor significant doubts about India’s investment environment.
In summary, issues related to the quality of the Indian populace, the economic environment, and infrastructure construction have resulted in their attitudes and behaviors toward work.
This complex and less-than-ideal living environment has also led workers to make unreasonable demands such as hereditary positions.
In the face of these absurd requests, will Samsung be able to meet them? In my view, it is almost impossible.
Given the complex business environment in India, many multinational companies have not fared well here; well-known firms like Ford, General Motors, and Nokia have suffered severe setbacks.
If Samsung were to meet these demands, not only would its survival and development face tremendous risks, but it could even lead to the company’s collapse.
Furthermore, as a technology company, if Samsung implemented a hereditary position system, it would undoubtedly deal a fatal blow to the company's development.
Such a decision would directly impact the company's innovation and competitiveness, causing it to rapidly decline.
Therefore, considering the current situation, Samsung must deeply contemplate and respond rationally to these unreasonable demands from Indian workers.
Facing such a complex Indian market, finding a way to maintain corporate development while properly managing relations with workers will be a significant challenge for Samsung.
The absurd demands made by Indian workers at Samsung's factory not only reflect deep-seated social and cultural issues but also serve as a warning to foreign enterprises.
In such an environment, promoting industrial development remains a long and arduous journey.
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