Unionists, factory representatives and Labor Ministry officials on Thursday failed to find a solution for about 1,600 employees of a garment factory in Takeo province who were fired for striking last month, and the case will be passed along to the Arbitration Council, a ministry official said.
The workers were fired by the Hong Sen factory—which supplies German sportswear giants Puma and Adidas—on October 30, two days after they began striking over demands for a monthly transportation allowance of $12, free checkups for pregnant women and a $0.50 lunch allowance.
About 100 of them demonstrated outside the Labor Ministry on Wednesday.
Moeung Virya, director of the provincial labor department, said Thursday’s three-party talks proved fruitless, and that the case would be forwarded to the Arbitration Council today.
“The negotiations didn’t work because the factory still said they couldn’t provide what the union or workers want, because it is too much money,” he said.
Pav Sina, president of Collective Union of Movement of Workers, which represents the workers, said the 100 would protest again on Monday if the council did not resolve the issue.
