The clash came on the fifth day of a strike over a list of 16
demands that included the removal of oppressive overseers, respect for
Cambodia's labour law, notice of piece-rates before work is performed,
three months' paid maternity leave, payment for medical treatment for
injuries incurred at work, and clean bathrooms.
The strike began on June 9. According to workers interviewed
by the Womyn's Agenda for Change (WAC) NGO, on the morning of June 13
some of the workers, angered by management's refusal to negotiate,
began throwing small stones and plastic bags (used to hold sugar cane
juice, a popular refreshment) at the factory.
Shortly afterwards, at least 1000 police officers arrived.
According to the workers, the police attacked workers with electric
batons. The police did not bother to ask workers what had happened or
ask them to stand back or stop throwing the plastic bags and stones.
Many workers were beaten with batons, including on their
faces and heads. Police officers grabbed the hair of women workers with
one hand while beating them with the other.
Workers then defended themselves with table legs taken from
roadside vendors' stalls and stopped a passing truck that was carrying
stones, which they threw at the police.
The police then fired into the crowd, killing a 30-year-old
male worker, Mao Vuthy, also known as Yoeum Ry, and wounding up to 25
others, several seriously.
According to press reports, one police officer suffering
from head wounds was taken to hospital and died there. Various news
sources reported 15 to 26 police injured.
A fire broke out in the factory during the conflict. The
factory owner later accused the workers of starting the fire, but
workers deny this. They point out that many workers brought water to
help put out the fire and that workers live near the factory and would
not want their own houses to burn down.
At the weekly government cabinet meeting, held on the
afternoon of June 13, Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed regret over the
incident and the loss of life and criticised government officials for
allowing a small dispute to escalate in a bloody clash between police
and strikers.
Hun Sen ordered the deputy prime minister and co-minister of
the interior to convene an urgent meeting of workers' representatives
and the factory management. Media reports the next day announced that
the dispute had been settled, largely on the workers' terms, but the
workers interviewed by WAC said that there are several issues that have
still not been settled.
On June 14, the workers showed that they were not
intimidated by holding a memorial service for Mao Vuthy and attempting
to march from the factory in the suburbs into the city. They were
blocked by large numbers of police and barbed wire.
After several hours of confrontation, including some
stone-throwing, the demonstration dispersed. Ten people were arrested.
Nine were quickly released, apparently because they were street
sweepers or others not involved in the demonstration.
In the wake of the strike, leaders of the Cambodian Bar
Association say they will move to disbar a Cambodian-American lawyer
who has represented Terratex and other garment industry companies.
Unions and workers accuse him of aggressively using the courts to
attack lawful union activities.
The garment industry, largely owned by overseas investors,
produces more than 90% of Cambodia's goods export income. The legal
minimum wage in the industry is US$45 a month for a 48-hour week, but
employers often find ways to avoid paying the full amount.
The industry has grown up rapidly largely because of a quota
system for textile exports to the US, which guarantees Cambodia a
certain market that it might not be able to maintain if there were
completely open competition.
The quota system is to end on December 31, 2004. The
government and some advisers hope that Cambodian garment exports can
continue to find a market among socially conscious buyers in the West
by establishing a reputation for good labour conditions. But some
investors clearly think it is wiser to squeeze out every cent of profit
now, before moving on in a year and a half.
powered by performancing firefox
