Levi Strauss Pulls Out From Embattled SL Garment Factory
A Singaporean-owned garment factory whose workers have been on strike since early August is no longer producing clothes for American denim giant Levi Strauss, a brand representative and a factory worker said Monday. The workers of SL Garment Factory in Meanchey district—which still makes clothes for the U.S. brand Gap—have been striking for almost two months to demand food stipends, the reinstatement of fired union leaders and the sacking of an adviser to the factory’s owners. Though a representative for Levi Strauss in the region would not say when the company had severed links with the factory, a union leader said Levi Strauss’ decision had come just after the protests had begun. Clara So, director of corporate affairs for Levi Strauss in the Asia Pacific region, confirmed Monday that the company is no longer sourcing garments from SL Garment. ... On Friday, more than 2,000 workers were blocked by hundreds of military police officers as they attempted to march from the factory in Stung Meanchey commune toward Prime Minister Hun Sen’s house near Independence Monument to submit a petition to his Cabinet, seeking a solution to the dispute. Ouch Noeun, the factory’s chief representative of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union (CCAWDU), said Levi Strauss severed its relationship with SL about a month and a half ago. “The Levi’s company gave one week to the company to find a solution for the workers. But they stopped the contract because there was no solution,” Mr. Noeun said. ...
Aun Pheap and Dene-Hern Chen
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/levi-strauss-pulls-out-from-embattled-sl-garment-factory-44015/
