Kandal province police arrested four male garment workers from Fortune Garment and Woolen Knitting Factory Co Ltd following a crackdown on a strike Thursday morning, officials said.
Oum Visal, deputy secretary of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, accused police of using unnecessary violence against the 3,000 workers on their third day of peaceful demonstrating.
He said police sprayed tear gas into the mass of workers, who were protesting recent reductions in their bonuses and short-term contracts, and at about 9:30 am officers fired pistols into the air and beat several protesters with electric batons in an effort to break up the strike action.
“The police should not have done that…the crackdown was cruel,” Oum Visal said.
Kandal provincial deputy police Sao Sothun said that four strikers were arrested at around 9 am for throwing stones and injuring police officers. The four were released late Thursday evening.
Sao Sothun also denied that police beat workers or fired shots into the air.
“If police had used violence, the workers would not have forgiven us,” he said, adding that police used the tear gas only when the workers, who were causing a traffic jam, refused to disperse.
“It was only tear gas. It’s not dangerous,” he said.
Sok Hak, the factory’s vice president, said the factory had nothing to do with the violence and had gone to the police station to secure the release of the four arrested workers.
He said that whether or not the workers will get the cash bonuses they are demanding is still in discussion.
