"Svay Rieng denounces striking garment workers", 15 January 2019

The Svay Rieng provincial administration ... issued a statement saying that striking garment workers from the Bai Hong factory ... were not yet considered official employees by the factory, noting they did not have the right to form a local union.

..., nearly 500 garment workers occupied the factory complex ... after the company fired representatives Phong Mesa, Moung Sophy and Chub Pheaum for attempting to create a local union.

In a statement, the provincial administration said the company hired about 1,000 workers ..., noting that all of the workers are still in their probation period.

It added that the workers did not have the right to form a local union due to their employment status...

“They are still under probation, therefore they cannot stand to be elected as union leaders,” the statement said...”

Has Bunthy, director of the provincial labour department, ... said Mr Mesa, Mr Sophy and Mr Pheaum were fired by the company and staged protests in order to return to work...

Mr Mesa, one of the representatives, ... said he left the company because he did not want about 1,000 workers to be out of a job.

“We are afraid that if the workers continued protesting then another thousand workers could lose their jobs,” he said, noting that the company has to respect the rights of workers.

Pav Sina, president of the Collective Union of Movement of Workers, ... said however that firing workers who wish to unionise seems to be the trend in recent times...