After a two-and-a-half-day protest to demand better working conditions, workers at the Taral International garment factory in Kampong Speu province returned to work as normal. However, one of their key demands remains unresolved, which is lunch allowance, prompting them to continue pressing.
The protest occurred on October 2 after the factory terminated its truck drivers’ contracts. The situation escalated the following day with workers blocking National Road 3 upon learning that their salaries would be cut if they skipped work to join the protest. In addition to opposing the pay cuts, the workers also demanded better working conditions, including a 2,000 riel daily lunch allowance.
On the second day of the protest, officials from the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training intervened to mediate between the factory management and the workers. Most of the workers’ demands were met, except for the lunch allowance and the issue of salary deductions for the protest days. Dissatisfied, the workers continued their protest on the morning of October 4.
Thorn Thun, an official from the Federation of Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), told CamboJA News that the workers returned to work only after the factory agreed not to cut their wages during the protest. They returned to work on Saturday morning.
Nak, a worker at the factory, told CamboJA News that he was happy with the outcome of the discussion between the management and relevant parties and decided to go back to work.
However, he and his colleagues are “not completely satisfied” because of the unresolved lunch allowance issue.
“The factory is still discussing the lunch allowance,” he said. “We’re not sure if we will protest again. For now, we are following their request to return to work as usual. I just hope they can resolve this issue soon—it would make us feel more at ease and motivated to work.”
According to the Guide to the Cambodian Labor Law for the Garment Industry, only workers who work overtime are entitled to receive 2,000 riels per day for food or one free meal for each day of overtime work.
Chek Borin, director of Kampong Speu Provincial Labor Department, told CamboJA News that the dispute has been largely resolved, apart from the lunch allowance issue. However, he noted that the workers’ demand for this additional benefit is not stipulated in the labor law.
He added that the company has agreed to consider the request and will discuss further with the board of directors and decide in the near future.
