About 500 workers continued to block the gates of Fabric’s Art factory in Kampong Speu province for the third consecutive night after equipment removal on Saturday sparked fears that the company was shutting down the factory.

Touch Srey Vith, a worker at the factory in Samrong Tong district, said yesterday that between 20 to 30 workers have begun sleeping in front of the factory to prevent the company from secretly removing equipment. “The company did not inform the workers about closing the factory. On Saturday night they tried to remove equipment from the factory, but luckily we knew and stopped them,” she said.

Vann Thavarith, Fabric’s Art factory administrative manager, denied the accusations yesterday and said that the company would not close, adding that they took out extra sewing machines to store in another factory after not renewing contracts of the 500 workers. “We are prepared to pay to them this evening ... We always provide what the workers demand.”