Four union leaders from the Workers Friendship Union Federation (WFUF) were charged and sent to prison on 14 February for allegedly organising an illegal strike in Kandal province.
Two of the unionists at Cosmo Textile Co, Ltd, on National Road 4 in Ang Snuol district, Chhean Vannak and Moeun Chhit, were dismissed, after allegedly failing to stamp their attendance cards five days in a row. They organised a strike action inside the factory the following day.
Both dismissed union leaders were summoned to court, with Lok Neang also appearing as a witness. All three were arrested when they appeared, and Phan Sary was arrested later that afternoon.
Court spokesman Tin Sochetra said the men had been charged and sent to pretrial detention at Kandal Provincial Prison for instigating workers to strike illegally, inciting damage of factory property, affecting public order by blocking the national road and intentional violence for allegedly making a panicked security guard faint.
Deputy District Police Chief Thiv Chiv Chantha said attempts to arrest more people involved in the strike had followed. “When the authorities went to their house, they escaped, and we’re waiting for the court order. If anyone is involved in this case, they’ll get arrested,” he said, declining to give further details.
Seang Sambath, WFUF president, said the dismissal of the unionists breached the law, as they had not done anything wrong and had worked as normal prior to their dismissal. “Our union leader [Vannak] lost his [stamp] card and already informed the factory administration, but they didn’t make the new card yet,” he said.
But Reim Bora, general manager of the factory for the last two months, said he had warned the union leaders about disrespecting internal rules.
Worker Khorn Sreyleak, 24, accused the factory of targeting the union leaders and called for their release. “I and other workers also sometimes don’t scan our attendance card, but I never got any problems,” she said.
