Sep 18, 2010
Cambodian workers stand and listen to a speech during a strike outside a garment factory in Phnom Penh. -- PHOTO: AFP
PHNOM PENH - FIVE Cambodian garment workers were injured in a clash with police on Saturday, unions said, as tension between staff and bosses continued despite the end of mass strikes.
Violence erupted when police tried to break up a rally of about 3,000 factory employees who had gathered to protest a ban on 26 activists from returning to work after last week's huge stoppage, Ath Thun told AFP.
'The military police sent to crack down on the strike injured five strikers and the clash lasted for half an hour,' the president of the Cambodian Labour Confederation said.
The incident in Kandal province, south of Phnom Penh, follows a decision to call off a large-scale strike across the country's key garment industry after the government stepped in and arranged talks with manufacturers.
Unions said the four-day stoppage that ended on Thursday attracted up to 210,000 people demanding better pay, although the Garment Manufacturers' Association in Cambodia (GMAC) had a more modest estimate of 30,000.
The mass strike from Monday to Thursday followed a deal between the government and industry that set the minimum wage for garment and footwear staff at S$61 (S$81.50) a month. Unions say the salary is not enough to cover food, housing and travel expenses, and want a base salary of US$93. -- AFP
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