Three hundred garment workers protested outside Sihanoukville’s Royal Crowntex International factory yesterday urging local authorities to expedite the sale of the firm’s assets, a move already ordered by the provincial court.

The factory, based in the city’s special economic zone, stopped paying workers in May, and production ceased a month later, after which the owner allegedly fled the country.

Ath Thorn, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Worker’s Democratic Union, said the union inspected the machinery in the factory and was hopeful it would yield enough to pay all the workers.

“We went to assess the assets and hope all this property could be used to pay $2.4 million to all 800 employees,” he said. He said the court order was issued only after workers protested multiple times in July.

One of those workers, Sam San, yesterday said they needed the sale to go through quickly.“We’ve been waiting for months to get our wages and severance,” she said.

Separately, another court order was issued yesterday for the sale of the Great Honor garment factory’s assets in Kandal. The order follows 300 workers protesting outside Prime Minister Hun Sen’s house in Phnom Penh.

Kandal deputy governor Kim Rithy confirmed that authorities have been authorised to sell the factory’s assets and will ensure all workers get paid.

Som Aun, president of the Cambodian Council of National Unions, said the sale would need to yield close to $3 million to pay the workers.