Staff at a garment factory in Kompong Chhnang province went on strike Tuesday to demand guarantees of pay for 36 colleagues who fainted on Monday, a union official said.
The entire workforce at the Taiwanese-owned Jiun Ye Garment factory—which produces children’s clothing—arrived at the factory in Samakki Meanchey district but refused to work until their demands were met, according to Nen Saran, an official at the Free Trade Union.
By the close of business, the factory owners had agreed to the demands: that fainting workers be paid—rather than docked—for work hours missed, that an investigation be carried out to find the cause of the fainting, and that the factory stop discouraging union activities.
Mr. Saran said that the strike was called after the National Social Security Fund refused to cover the medical bills of the 36 who fainted.
“The NSSF believes the workers fainted because their health is poor,” Mr. Saran said. Representatives of Jiun Ye and the NSSF could not be contacted Tuesday.
Horm Ron, a 26-year-old employee at Jiun Ye, said that workers were fed up with poor conditions at the factory and would strike again.
“If the factory again tries to cut our wages or refuses to pay workers who faint, we will protest again,” she said.
