Nearly 400 workers made a four-hour trek yesterday from their garment factory in Por Sen Chey district to Phnom Penh’s Ministry of Labour, where they demanded the government intervene in their dispute.

Employees at Xin Fang garment factory walked off the job on August 18, said Chhun Rinda, a union representative of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union (C.CAWDU). Among 20 demands strikers are making is that Xin Fang management reinstate three fired union workers.

“Union officials and worker representatives negotiated with Labour Ministry officials after we marched to the ministry,” Rinda said. “But good faith negotiation could not take place, because the factory officials did not appear.”

Managers from Xin Fang could not be reached yesterday.

Xin Fang workers last week burned tyres in front of the factory while picketing, but were stopped by police when they tried to repeat the action the next day.

Strikers will continue to protest until the matter is resolved, Rinda said.