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Khmer Times/Mom Kunthear Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Garment workers from the Malaysian-owned Global Apparel Limited garment factory continued their protest yesterday, blocking the road and burning tires in front of the factory, hoping to push for a resolution of their demands.
They also plan to march and ask for intervention from Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Worker representative Srey Leak, 32, said yesterday that about 500 workers decided to block the road and burn tires in front of the factory. They also burned tires on National Road 4 to push for a resolution.
“We attempted to block National Road 4 as well, but the union officials explained and stopped us from blocking the national road. We know that it’s illegal to block the public road, but we all have no choice and could not control our anger. That’s why we do this.
“Some of us have already accepted the offer from the factory because they do not want to protest anymore,” she said.
She said that if a deal is not struck soon, the workers will march to Mr. Hun Sen’s house to ask him to intervene because they have protested for almost two weeks already.
On May 30, the company said it would be shutting down the Global Apparel Limited factory at the end of October and would not be renewing any worker contracts ending between May and October.
The workers, many of whom had contracts ending the day after the announcement, criticized the company for leaving so many workers without jobs on such short notice and demanded compensation, a full month’s wages or new contracts for every worker whose contract ends at the same time.
The workers have marched to the Ministry of Labor two times already, but the ministry has yet to find a resolution for them.
Mrs. Leak said the workers blocked the road in front of the factory from 6am until 2:30pm yesterday and they would gather at the factory again today.
Factory director Teo Hock Lim said the reason the factory will stop production at the end of October was because they were not receiving enough orders and were going bankrupt.
Suth Chet, an official with the Collective Union of Movement of Workers (CUMW), said yesterday that there was no resolution for workers as yet so they will continue to protest, but their plan to march to Mr. Hun Sen’s house has not been scheduled because ministry officials promised to intervene for them as soon as possible.
“Mr. Prack Chanthoeun, secretary-general of the Committee for the Settlement of Strikes and Demonstrations of the Labor Ministry, promised to accelerate the debate to find a solution, so the workers agreed to take time for this committee to coordinate in this case, by making sure the company legally compensates the workers,” said Mr. Chet.
Mr. Chet acknowledged that the workers’ demands for ending their contract were illegal, but he also blamed the company because the company abused the law by informing the workers too late that they would not be renewing contracts for workers whose contracts expired at the end of May.
“According to the law, the company has to inform workers within seven days or a month before the contract of workers ends, but the Global Apparel Limited factory owner made the announcement to workers only one day before their contacts ended. So the unfinished contract workers demanding to finish their contracts before expiring is not illegal because the company abused the law before the workers did,” he said.
Vong Sovann, the deputy secretary-general of the committee, said yesterday that he was not involved in the Global Apparel Limited factory case, so he could not comment and he referred questions to Krouch Sophary, deputy secretary-general of the committee and chief of intervention and resolution of labor disputes, who could not be reached for comment.
Clik here to view.
Khmer Times/Mom Kunthear Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Garment workers from the Malaysian-owned Global Apparel Limited garment factory continued their protest yesterday, blocking the road and burning tires in front of the factory, hoping to push for a resolution of their demands.
They also plan to march and ask for intervention from Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Worker representative Srey Leak, 32, said yesterday that about 500 workers decided to block the road and burn tires in front of the factory. They also burned tires on National Road 4 to push for a resolution.
“We attempted to block National Road 4 as well, but the union officials explained and stopped us from blocking the national road. We know that it’s illegal to block the public road, but we all have no choice and could not control our anger. That’s why we do this.
“Some of us have already accepted the offer from the factory because they do not want to protest anymore,” she said.
She said that if a deal is not struck soon, the workers will march to Mr. Hun Sen’s house to ask him to intervene because they have protested for almost two weeks already.
On May 30, the company said it would be shutting down the Global Apparel Limited factory at the end of October and would not be renewing any worker contracts ending between May and October.
The workers, many of whom had contracts ending the day after the announcement, criticized the company for leaving so many workers without jobs on such short notice and demanded compensation, a full month’s wages or new contracts for every worker whose contract ends at the same time.
The workers have marched to the Ministry of Labor two times already, but the ministry has yet to find a resolution for them.
Mrs. Leak said the workers blocked the road in front of the factory from 6am until 2:30pm yesterday and they would gather at the factory again today.
Factory director Teo Hock Lim said the reason the factory will stop production at the end of October was because they were not receiving enough orders and were going bankrupt.
Suth Chet, an official with the Collective Union of Movement of Workers (CUMW), said yesterday that there was no resolution for workers as yet so they will continue to protest, but their plan to march to Mr. Hun Sen’s house has not been scheduled because ministry officials promised to intervene for them as soon as possible.
“Mr. Prack Chanthoeun, secretary-general of the Committee for the Settlement of Strikes and Demonstrations of the Labor Ministry, promised to accelerate the debate to find a solution, so the workers agreed to take time for this committee to coordinate in this case, by making sure the company legally compensates the workers,” said Mr. Chet.
Mr. Chet acknowledged that the workers’ demands for ending their contract were illegal, but he also blamed the company because the company abused the law by informing the workers too late that they would not be renewing contracts for workers whose contracts expired at the end of May.
“According to the law, the company has to inform workers within seven days or a month before the contract of workers ends, but the Global Apparel Limited factory owner made the announcement to workers only one day before their contacts ended. So the unfinished contract workers demanding to finish their contracts before expiring is not illegal because the company abused the law before the workers did,” he said.
Vong Sovann, the deputy secretary-general of the committee, said yesterday that he was not involved in the Global Apparel Limited factory case, so he could not comment and he referred questions to Krouch Sophary, deputy secretary-general of the committee and chief of intervention and resolution of labor disputes, who could not be reached for comment.