Over 1,000 textile workers from a factory in the city of Daun Keo, Cambodia, gathered at the provincial hall of Takeo on 4 July. The workers were demanding the officials to help them get their unpaid severance packages.
They also said that the factory was supposed to pay them severance pay after the completion of their six-year contract.
On 2 July, the workers first protested at their former factory and on 3 July, they decided to protest in front of provincial labour department. Finally on 4 July, the workers reached the provincial hall to stage their protest.
Meas Srey Oun, one of the textile workers, averred that all the workers had been working for long in the factory and they would return again and again to claim their severance package.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Governor of Takeo, Ocuh Phea, said that he had met all the garment workers and is trying to find a solution for the workers.
He also added that the complaint has been registered and now they are putting efforts to meet the employers so that the issue can be resolved.
Earlier this year, the Government had committed to pay US $ 4.6 million to nearly 4,100 textile workers whose employers had disappeared without paying their wages and since then several workers have received their dues.
The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, however, expressed its concerns by saying that though the changes made in Article 89 protect the rights of workers, it has now added to the financial burden of employers as they have to pay the severances to the workers at once and not in installments.
