Locked-out toy makers left in lurch over wages
Employees at the First & Main cuddly-toy company arrived at work yesterday expecting to be paid outstanding wages – instead, a notice on the gates told them all equipment inside the Phnom Penh factory would be auctioned off, because the company was closing for good.
The Ministry of Social Affairs’ strike and demonstration resolution committee, which issued the notice, said Brad Holes, American co-owner of the firm, had decided to close his Sen Sok district factory, with orders to his Cambodian accountant to sell the equipment. …
Workers have claimed they found no sign of their bosses on that date and milled about peacefully, while Holes has said a management representative was barricaded inside the building, fearing for her life, as a mob trashed the factory and destroyed CCTV footage. …
