Almost 500 Tropicana Casino staff from gambling hub Poipet have threatened to strike on Saturday if the casino’s Thai owner does not reinstate their union leader, Sath Ser, sacked by the company for supporting another terminated employee, workers said yesterday.

A staff member who did not want to be named said employees had been plagued with unwarranted sackings since the casino opened in 2000.

When the union threatened to strike, he said the owner increased some workers’ salaries and gave some promotions, but he remained doubtful their requests would be heeded, because the provincial authorities were “biased to the company”.

Poipet town governor, Ngor Meng Chroun, said he was mediating between the workers and the casino owner.

Tropicana Casino could not be reached for comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Sarom at [email protected]