Strikes face legal hurdle

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Garment worker, Chan Pheakdey, nurses her foot after it was run over by a company van at a strike outside Pine Great garment factory in Stung Meanchey district on Wedmesday.

via CAAI

Wednesday, 15 September 2010 22:40 Mom Kunthear and James O’Toole

LEGAL action by garment industry representatives may curtail the weeklong strike that continued for a third day yesterday.

Ken Loo, secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, said “more than 10” factories had sought injunctions yesterday that would require workers to return to their jobs within 48 hours if the strikes were deemed illegal.

He said “23 or 24” GMAC factories had been affected by the strike.

“We sought some intervention, and we trust that the authorities will step in to ensure public order, and also to ensure the rights of the workers who want to come to work,” Loo said. “The police have not stepped in so far, but we believe that all this will change significantly tomorrow.”

Kong Athit, secretary general of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, said yesterday that 201,770 workers had taken part in the third day of the strike. The CLC said roughly 144,500 workers had joined the strike on Tuesday and 68,000 on Monday.

“The number of workers joining the strike keeps increasing each day,” Kong Athit said.

But Loo said just over 30,000 workers had failed to show up to work yesterday; of this number, he guessed that fewer than 10,000 were actively participating in the strike.

“The workers want to come to work, but [protesters] stopped the workers from coming to work,” Loo said. “It’s ridiculous.” ... read the full story in tomorrow’s Phnom Penh Post or see the updated story online from 3PM UTC/GMT +7 hours (New York 4AM, Los Angeles 1AM, Chicago 3AM, Paris 10AM, Vancouver 1AM, Sydney 6PM, Bejing 4PM, Tokyo 5PM, London 9AM, Johannesburg 10AM, Riyadh 11AM, Mumbai 1:30 PM)