Workers at two Phnom Penh garment factories went on strike Monday, contending that owners were not respecting the labor law and attempting to close without informing the workers.
More than 500 garment workers at the Sino Nature factory walked off the job at noon Monday claiming that neither the factory nor the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs was responding to a week of complaints, factory union chief Chan Pherom said.
Workers protested in front of the factory Monday, holding posters and shouting through megaphones. Factory owners attempted to load clothes onto trucks for transport to another factory, but workers blocked the exit, he said.
More than 100 workers who have worked for five months at the factory have received only $20 a month, and working conditions are not good, Chan Pherom said.
About 500 workers from the Supreme Choice factory demonstrated outside the Ministry of Commerce demanding mediation. Factory owners will shut the factory down but do not intend to give three months’ severance pay, as required by law, said Noun Visal, union chief for the factory.
On Saturday workers saw sewing machines and computers being removed from the factory and taken to another site, Noun Visal said. He said workers have slept in front of the factory to block the removal of more equipment.
Owners from both factories could not be reached for comment Monday.
