A garment factory protest in Dangkao district turned riotous Wednesday, when workers from Tommy textile MFG Co, Ltd, turned over cars, smashed windows and scuffled with police, officials confirmed. Around 300 workers were protesting outside the factory, district police officials said.
They became angry when security guards hit two women, said Chea Vichea, president of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
“The workers became very angry with the security guards and pushed the factory’s gate over,” said Dangkao district’s military police chief, Chim Rithy. They “ran over to the factory and destroyed three cars…and turned them upside down.”
Rioters broke nearly all of the factories windows and cut electric and water lines, said Lim Ouk, deputy police chief of the district. He estimated damage at $400,000.
Factory manger Jack Yang said he thought that estimate was too high, but was not sure how much it would cost to repair the factory, which employs 1,300 people.
“This is the greatest amount of damage for the year 2001,” Chea Vichea said.
Protesters had been striking since Tuesday, saying the factory did not respect the labor law, Chim Rithy said.
Workers had settled 12 of their 17 negotiating points with the factory, Chea Vichea said.
“This is a good example for other garment factories that do not respect the labor law in Cambodia,” he said.
Representatives for the Ministry of Social Affairs, the workers, the Free Trade Union and the factory were all meeting to settle the dispute, he said.
Yang said he planned to settle the dispute within the next few days.
(Additional reporting by Brian Calvert)
