A five-month protest aimed at a Phnom Penh bus company came to an end on Thursday when Sorya Transportation Company reinstated three of 17 drivers it fired in April.

Sorya will pay severance to nine others, and the Cambodian Labour Confederation will file a lawsuit in Phnom Penh Municipal Court today for the remaining five, questioning the legality of the firings. Sorya fired the employees when they attempted to start a labour union, said Sambath Vorn, the new union’s president.

Management rehired Vorn, union vice president Sem Hai, and union member Khun Sao Ny.

“The protest may be over, but we are so sorry that some of us cannot come back to work,” Vorn said.

The Arbitration Council is looking into whether Sorya owes the 17 drivers their wages for the time they were protesting, said Sorya general manager Chan Sophanna.

Sorya did not abide by a July decision by the council to rehire 15 drivers and compensate two.