Five striking workers at a Kandal province garment factory were injured yesterday after a group of men allegedly showed up at the protest, attempted to steal equipment and beat several strikers.

The Indochine Apparel (Cambodia) employees had been striking for about a week, demanding higher meal allowances, said Pai Bora of the Cambodian Labour Solidarity Union Federation. But yesterday morning, about 10 men rolled up in a car and on several motorbikes.

“They took equipment such as batteries and a loud speaker that the workers used for their protest”, Bora said. “Workers tried to take these things back, and the gangsters beat them.”

Worker Houth Kim Eang was hospitalised with a serious knee injury, she said, noting that she is considering filing a police complaint. Indochine’s administrative manager, Sokha, who declined to give his full name, said the factory did not hire the assailants.

The factory yesterday agreed to pay $11.50 per month for lunch, and 2,500 riel ($0.65) for overtime meals.