The detention marks an escalation of a strike by workers at a Samsung home appliance plant near Chennai city in the state of Tamil Nadu. Workers want higher wages and have boycotted work for seven days, disrupting production that contributes roughly a third of Samsung’s annual India revenue of US$12 billion.

On Monday, the workers planned to start a protest march, but were detained as there was no permission given as there are schools, colleges and hospitals in that area, said senior police officer of Kancheepuram district, K Shanmugam.

“It is the main area that would become totally paralysed and (the protest would) disturb public peace,” he said.

“We have detained them in wedding halls we can’t hold all of them in stations,” he added.

Workers have since last week been protesting at a makeshift tent near the plant, demanding higher wages, recognition for a union backed by labour group Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and better working hours.

Samsung is not keen to recognise any union backed by an outside labour group.

Samsung did not respond to a request for comment, but on Friday said it has initiated discussions with its workers at the Chennai plant “to resolve all issues at the earliest.”

Video footage from Reuters partner ANI showed dozens of Samsung workers wearing the company uniform of blue shirts being transported in a bus to a hall.

A Jenitan, a union leader of CITU, told Reuters police also detained one of its senior leaders, E Muthukumar, who was leading the Samsung protests.

“The workers have been asked to return to the (strike) tent,” he said.