Thursday, 6 January 2011

Labour Ministry to discuss factory dispute


Photo by: Will Baxter
Workers at PCCS Garments Ltd leave the factory at the end of the day following a shift in September.

via CAAI

Wednesday, 05 January 2011 15:02 Tep Nimol

THE Ministry of Labour would convene a meeting on Tuesday next week in an attempt to resolve a lingering dispute between the workers and management of a garment factory in Sen Sok district, officials said yesterday.

Huon Soeur, deputy director of the ministry’s Department of Labour Disputes, said the meeting was called in response to a December 11 complaint filed by representatives of more than 1,000 workers at PCCS Garments Ltd.

He said the workers had filed the complaint in December, when orders began drying up and production at the factory became irregular, prompting fears that the factory might be closed down.

Workers have demanded that the factory management offer benefits they claim they are entitled to under the Kingdom’s Labour Law, Huon Soeur said.

“The workers demanded allowances such as indemnity against dismissal, seniority bonuses, damages, paid annual leave, and their last month’s salary provided if the factory is closed,” he said.

Ros Sokha, a representative of the workers, said employees were concerned that they would not be fairly compensated if the factory were to be shuttered.

“The workers worry that they won’t be paid when the factory is closed and they will become unemployed,” he said.

Ros Sokha said the factory owner had indicated that employees leaving the company after working there for more than 10 years would receive up to US$700, a sum that he said was insufficient for some.

“I worked for this factory over 11 years and I should be paid more than $1,000 ... under the Labour law,” he said.

Representatives of the factory could not be reached for comment yesterday.

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