About 500 workers at Sein-Atree, in Kampong Speu province’s Samrong Torng district, will march to the provincial labour department today to request intervention in a dispute yet to be solved after two days of striking.

“The workers have not received their full salary for August yet,” factory employee Sun Sameoun said, noting that he had received only half of last month’s wages.

In addition to on-time payment, workers are demanding revisions to the factory’s policies, such as not forcing employees to work overtime, promptly paying dismissed workers, paying workers on maternity leave 50 per cent of their salary in advance and not firing workers without just cause.

“The workers will be fired if they go to the toilet more than two times a day and talk on the phone,” Sun Samoeun said.

Soay Chanthou, a Free Trade Union official, said workers had wanted to march to the labour department yesterday, but he stopped them in the hope the factory would find a solution.

Sein-Atree administrative manager Chey Sovan said the factory was having budgetary problems that prevented it from paying workers their full wages.

“We have made a contract with the workers already that we will pay for them on September 20, and the workers agreed, but there is a union provoking the workers to protest against the factory,” he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mom Kunthear at [email protected]