"Union Gives Bus Company ‘One Last Chance’ To Finish Negotiations", 8 June 2023

Giant Ibis Transport has again delayed negotiations with 30 laid off union members who say they are owed years-worth of wages and benefits.

The bus company, founded by tycoon Kith Meng’s Royal Group, had previously promised to calculate and provide severance pay and other benefits owed to employees …, following Labor Ministry-facilitated negotiations. The company already failed to meet a prior deadline to ascertain the unpaid wages and benefits and requested a delay ...

The union members estimate they are collectively owed more than $100,000 by the company according to the labor law or around $7,000 to $8,000 per person, union leader Siem Morady says. He and two other union leaders fingerprinted a letter … allowing the company to calculate and provide compensation …

Morady says the union believes the company, which he says has repeatedly claimed to have miscalculated what workers are owed, is not acting in good faith.

… Morady said that if the company does not move forward with determining compensation packages by the agreed upon June 23 deadline, then the workers will resume their protests…

Giant Ibis representative Ou Phanny — who signed the agreement on behalf of the company — said he was “just a mediator” and blamed the Labor Ministry for the delays in negotiations.

“We have already provided them [the laid off union members] the payroll [calculations], accordingly there are no problems,” Phanny said. “It was the ministry who asked to postpone the negotiations and then the company who made the decision.”

… Kith Meng and the Royal Group did not respond to requests for comment.