FORTY-FOUR workers from four districts in Kandal province filed a complaint against a labour recruitment firm last week for allegedly cheating them out of money paid to secure jobs abroad, police said yesterday.

Chhuon Chhin, one of the workers suing two CDM Trading Manpower Co employees in connection with the firm’s agreement to find jobs in Thailand, said he and the other workers  paid US$150 to CDM representative Um Roeun in May.

He said they have still received no work and are demanding their money back.

“We want the company to return our $150 to each of us, and we would also like to appeal to the police to take legal action against this company,” he said.

Kandal police chief Iv Chamroeurn said yesterday that police had received the complaint on Friday, adding that he expected the police to begin an investigation today.

Touch Manak, general manager of CDM’s office in Phnom Penh, yesterday blamed delays on political instability out of his control. “Our company has no intention of cheating the workers”, he said, adding “we are late because of Thailand’s political turmoil as well as the tension of politics between Cambodia and Thailand in the past six months.”