A section of Samsung workers who set out on a protest march on Sunday were swiftly detained by police within minutes and barely 300 metres from the starting point.

E. Muthukumar, president of Samsung India Workers’ Union (SIWU), said that labour Minister C.V. Ganesan had promised in the Assembly that the workers who were suspended 13 months ago would be reinstated.

But the management has not taken any steps to reinstate the 27 employees, he pointed out. They were suspended for being a part of the Union, he added.