One hundred temple restoration workers plan to demonstrate outside the Japanese embassy in Phnom Penh next month over their sacking from the Japanese Team for Safeguarding Angkor (JSA) and Sophia mission.

The action stems from workers' claims they were laid off after protesting outside the Japanese embassy and UNESCO office in Phnom Penh in late February.

Rath Rot Mony, president of the Cambodian Construction Workers Trade Union Federation (CCTUF), said nearly 100 workers were fired three days after the protest.

Since July 2004, CCTUF has been trying to negotiate collective bargaining agreements with JSA and Sophia mission, another Japanese restoration group.

But Hirai Toshio, an administration and finance officer of JSA, said the contracts were stopped because the project activities will end in April 2005.

Ikeda Hirotsugu, first secretary in charge of cultural affairs at the Japanese embassy, said the embassy has been in contact with JSA and will study the workers' complaint.