Cambodia: Thousands of garment workers from different factories protest to demand unpaid wages from suspended factories due to COVID-19 impacts
"Labor Protests Draw Thousands of Workers, Warning Issued to Unionist", 12 September 2020
Thousands of workers took to the streets in multiple protests ... over unpaid wages from suspended factories as well as grievances related to benefits, as the Labor Ministry issued a warning against one unionist alleging an illegal strike and a man was detained while photographing a rally.
In the biggest protest, more than 4,000 workers blocked Phnom Penh’s Street 217 ... over a dispute with the Chinese-owned Y&W Garment in Dangkao district, according to Spean Thma commune police chief Chhim Ra...
In Takeo province, almost 900 workers at Chinese-owned Hong Sen Textile began a protest ..., claiming their employers ran away after suspending operations and had not paid them.
Nop Sokha, who has worked at the factory for seven years, said the factory owed each worker between $200 and $250. “They do no not pay, but we have expenses,” Sokha said.
Meanwhile, about 250 workers from Chinese-owned Sepia Garment in the capital’s Pur Senchey district protested outside the Labor Ministry ...
Worker Hem Sereysophea said the owner of Sepia had also run away, with workers’ owed two months’ wages...
At Hong Kong-owned Hung Wah Garment, also in Pur Senchey district, more than 2,000 workers went on strike ... over grievances related to severance pay, said workers’ representative Chin Leakhena...
Cambodian Labor Confederation president Ath Thorn said he was aware of protests by workers from five different factories ... as the industry remained in crisis...