Workers from the Pou Yuen Cambodia garment factory in Sen Sok district yesterday protested outside the premises after the management decided to offer them only three-month contract extensions.

The workers said that they protested inside the factory for two days after being informed that their one-year contracts would only be extended by three months, but only took their demonstration outside yesterday, said Mom Samphos, an officer with the Khmer Union Federation of Workers Spirit.

“It is reasonable [to protest] because the reduction of the employment contract period clearly shows that the factory intends to end their contract,” Samphos said yesterday.

He and other workers said that they had heard the factory intended to relocate to Kampot province and this was an attempt to slowly ease them out of their jobs.

“If we have a short contract, we will receive very little compensation when the factory is closed,” said another worker, Von Sim.

An administrative officer with the factory, who requested anonymity, said that the factory had revised its offer to six-month contracts but that, too, was rejected by the workers. He did not address the potential relocation of the factory.

Prak Chan Thoeun, secretary-general of the Labour Ministry’s Dispute Resolution Department, said he had been negotiating with both sides for the last two days and was hopeful a resolution could be reached.