THE
US sportswear multinational Nike Inc has called for an inquiry by
Cambodia into a police crackdown on workers at one of its suppliers,
during which a pregnant women miscarried and other people were injured.
Nike expressed "deep concerns" over the May 27 incident at the
Sabrina Cambodia Garment Manufacturing plant outside Phnom Penh, in a
letter to Cambodia's commerce and labour ministers released late on
Friday in the United States.
Several factory workers were injured
by police when 4,000 workers clashed with police outside the plant's
premises in Kampong Speu province, Nike said.
Following the violence, eight workers and trade union members were detained and hundreds of employees were dismissed.
The
Cambodian government should "open an inquiry using credible,
independent third parties to determine the cause of the incident," the
company's vice president Hannah Jones said in the letter dated May 30.
"In addition, we urge the Cambodian government to consider the appropriate support for the injured workers," it said.
The
commerce and labour ministers did not respond to requests for comment.
Free Trade Union leader Chea Mony said authorities had done nothing, so
far, to end the labour conflict.
Rights groups said Nike's request was only a response to pressure.
"The
Free Trade Union sent an open letter to Nike and the US Embassy last
week," Solidarity Centre Cambodia director David Welsh said.
"Violence
by security forces is an important issue. The right to strike is part
of the Cambodian constitution. As Election Day approaches, the
government has to take the request seriously, even if it will not
undertake legal operations," he added.
The Free Trade Union is viewed as siding with the political opposition.
The workers were striking to demand a $US14 ($A15.25) increase to their $US74 dollars a month.
2 comments:
HUN SEN don't like to use dialoge. HE LOVE VIOLANCE AGAIN HIS OWN PEOPLE THAT IS DICTATOR GOOD ABOUT.
And so far it works for him very well.
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