THE vice-president of the Siem Reap department of labour is set to meet today with the owner of the Angkor Village Hotel and Resort in an attempt to resolve a dispute that arose after the luxury hotel fired 18 workers.

Oem Chamreung, vice-president of the department, said that the hotel owner had agreed to stop firing workers at a meeting yesterday, though the workers who already lost their jobs would not be re-employed.

“The owner said that the low season caused them to decrease staff,” Oem Chamreung said, adding that he hoped to resolve the issue “according to the law” during a meeting today.

Workers have accused the hotel owner of discrimination and allege they were being fired after starting a union.

Olivier Piot, the hotel owner, was apparently made uncomfortable by the creation of a union early last month, according to a translation of an email sent in his name to staff on Monday. “For me, the workers’ union is an organisation that is full of pressure... I don’t want to see any arguments in my hotel,” Piot said. Chhey Phi, head of the resort union, said the hotel had fired 18 staff since the end of July, sparking workers to file a complaint.

Piot could not be reached.