Nearly 2,000 Workers of Abandoned Factory Receive Their Payments
The workers protested on March 14 and again on March 20, each time blocking the Samdech Monireth Blvd (Street 217) to ask for action. Photo: Moeurn Makthong
- By Meng Seavmey
- March 23, 2024 6:15 PM
PHNOM PENH — As many as 1,972 workers of the abandoned Y&W Garment factory have received their salaries and compensation, the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training said through a press release on March 23.
Those who have not been paid yet should come to the Dangkor District Hall in Phnom Penh to receive their payments, the ministry said, adding that the office is also open on weekends to make it easier for the workers who have found new jobs and would not be able to come on weekdays.
Moreover, the employees of the National Employment Agency will be on standby at the district hall to assist the workers who have not yet found jobs, the ministry said in the press release.
The Y&W Garment Co., Ltd shut down in early March 2024 after the Chinese owner Yuen Po Fai had run away, leaving more than 4,800 workers unpaid. The workers protested on March 14 and again on March 20, each time blocking the Samdech Monireth Blvd (Street 217) to ask for action.
The Ministry of Labour attempted several times to contact the Chinese owner but without success, and then decided to take action, considering two choices for legal recourse: the Law on Bankruptcy and a warrant to seize the company’s properties for sale.
On March 12, the ministry carried out the second choice, using the money to pay and compensate the workers, after getting the warranty funds from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.
The ministry said on March 20 that, once it had obtained the reserved budget bid for the properties, the workers would receive their payment and compensation.
In the meantime, the ministry said, the benefits of the National Social Security Fund membership card for healthcare, pregnancy and childbirth benefits will remain available to the workers for the next three months.
The local authorities also called on rental-house owners to enable workers to delay their rental payments while they are waiting for their salaries and compensations, and looking for job opportunities with the assistance of the authorities.
