About 100 striking workers from a Phnom Penh garment factory yesterday delivered a letter to the Ministry of Labour, asking for intervention in their industrial dispute.

Workers at Akeentex Pte Ltd walked off the job last week, after management refused to meet nine demands workers called for, said Suth Chet, a Collective Union of Movement of Workers (CUMW) representative at Akeentex.

The employees’ conditions include three months’ salary for workers on maternity leave, an end to forced overtime and the right to unionise freely.

In addition to those who marched to the Labour Ministry, a total of about 1,000 employees demonstrated in front of Akeentex’ branches in Por Sen Chey and Meanchey districts, Chet said.

“The workers have protested at the factory for about five days, and tried to march to the Labour Ministry [on Monday], but police stopped them,” Chet said.

“Today we marched until we arrived at the ministry.”

Officials at Akeentex declined to comment.

Labour Ministry officers accepted the letter Akeentex employees delivered to them yesterday, Chet said.