Provocative Posters Spark Renewed Protests

27 August 2012
The Cambodia Daily
Economy and commerce / Exports / Labor / Trade
Collective Union of Movement of Workers / Faruk Ahmad / female workers / Garment factories / garment factory protests / garment factory workers / labor disputes / mass protests / Ocean Garment / sexual harassment

More than 2,000 garment factory workers protested Saturday and plan to strike today in support of union organizers who face prosecution in court for alleged “incitement” over demonstrations at the plant, a union representative said yesterday. The workers at Ocean Garment factory began demonstrating on Aug. 11 seeking to have a manager removed over alleged sexual harassment of female workers. … The factory also filed a complaint on Tuesday to the Phnom Penh Municipal Corut against five union leaders on charges of inciting the mass protests. … [Chheng Chhoan, secretary-general of the Collective Union of Movement of Workers said] that posters had been put up in the factory depicting the five union leaders with captions stating that they now face charges of incitement in court. … Huon Soeu, deputy chief of the ministry’s labor disputes department, said he will call a meeting today between both parties to find “a real resolution.”