About 600 Tae Young factory workers are back on the job thanks to a court injunction – and the desire to pocket a little cash in time for Pchum Ben – but the return will only be temporary, workers said yesterday.

The decision followed a Kandal Provincial Court injunction ordering them back to the Ang Snuol district factory within 48 hours, but the workers said that after the holiday, they would resume their strike to reinstate 16 workers sacked for allegedly inciting a protest in June.

Worker representative Un Bunkea said yesterday that the need for wages before the holiday, coupled with the court injunction and the factory’s announcement that it would fire workers who continued striking, prompted the decision that all but the sacked 16 should temporarily return.

“I and the other union officials told the workers to return to work, because they have to receive salaries,” Bunkea said.

 

“We are going to strike again after Pchum Ben on October 18.”

Tao Young administrative manager Preab Len said yesterday that the workers, who had been striking since October 1, had already returned to work, but that they did not understand that the court injunction did not permit them to strike again after returning.

“But if they do strike again, we will invite court officials to explain the injunction to them, and if they still continue, we will take further action,” he said.

He added that the factory is considering whether to allow the return of the 16 sacked workers, against eight of whom the factory has filed a suit calling for each to pay the factory $60,000 in compensation.

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