Nearly 1,000 workers at a Svay Rieng bicycle factory staged a walkout yesterday, saying they would strike until their call for pay raises and transportation allowances had been met.

Employees of Smart Tech Cambodia Co Ltd, in the Tai Seng Special Economic Zone, said yesterday they were demanding five basic working conditions, including $10 to $15 a month for transportation, a $10 base salary increase – to $80 – and overtime.

“The workers will continue to protest until a solution is reached. They do not agree to go to work. They will protest tomorrow and the next day, because our labour rights have been violated,” an employee named Dara said.

The company could not be reached for comment. Va Saran, director of the Svay Rieng provincial labor department, said he was working on brokering an agreement between the two sides.

Ï don’t know yet [when the strike will end],”he said. “But we will find a solution.”  

To contact the reporter on this story: Sen David at [email protected]