Workers at Genuine garment factories demand release of 3 union reps

Friday-Saturday-Sunday, July 7-8-9, 2006

By NS Cambodge Soir
Translated from French by KI-Media

About one hundred workers of the Genuine garment factory in the Ang Snuol district, Kandal province, are pursuing their strike to demand the release of three of their union representatives incarcerated in the provincial jail. The three unionists, and a fourth who is on the run, are sued by the factory owners for sequestration. According to Sam Srey Mom, the vice-president of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kindgom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), a representative of the US embassy intervened on Thursday morning with the factory owners to search for a compromise. “The owner accepted to withdraw his complaint against the four unionists with the condition that they be terminated. We do not agree to that,” Sam Srey Mom indicated. “We want freedom for our representatives, and that they can go back to work, otherwise, we will continue our strike.” The strike put about one thousand workers out of work.