Hanoi - Some 4,000 workers at a Taiwanese-owned shoe factory
in Vietnam's Thanh Hoa province went on strike over the weekend,
protesting alleged misconduct by the management in the first wildcat
strike of 2009, police and trade union officials said Monday.
'This is the first wildcat strike in our province this year,' said
Tran Thi Gioi, president of Thanh Hoa province's Trade Union.
'This is a spontaneous wildcat strike because workers are angry
about the way management has treated them,' said Le Duc Ngoan, a
policeman in Quang Hung Commune.
Ngoan said workers reported that Chinese managers of Sun Jade
Vietnam, hired by the factory, had beaten and humiliated them several
times.
Local media reported that each worker is granted a pass to travel
through the factory's workshops. When arriving late the managers
often cut their passes in half, forcing the workers to purchase new
ones for 150,000 dong (9 dollars) as punishment.
Those arriving late were also docked that day's wages and were not
allowed into the canteen to eat the lunch provided to them by the
factory. They also claim to have not been allowed to leave and buy
lunch outside the premises.
The workers said they had reported abuses to top management many
times, but were met with silence. As a result, strikes began
Saturday. Factory owners then promised to solve the problems.
Workers returned to work Sunday only to strike later in the day
after floor managers began reprisals. The managing board has said it
will take action against those harassing workers. By Monday, most had
returned to work.
'We will continue to strike in the next few days if our requests
are not met,' said a worker who declined to be named, fearing
retribution.
'We have coordinated with the trade unions to reconcile workers
and factory management,' said Ngoan. 'Most have returned to work
today.'
In Vietnam strikes must be approved by both local authorities and
trade unions before going ahead. Few are approved.
Sun Jade Vietnam Company has six factories with a total of 30,000
workers in Vietnam. The Thanh Hoa factory has 4,500 workers earning
between 1.2 million dong (71 dollars) to 1.5 million dong per month.
Vietnam reported 650 wildcat strikes last year, compared with 541
in 2007. Strikes have been on the rise after last year's rapid
inflation, which rose by 23 per cent in 2008, year-on-year. Prices
for foodstuffs rose by 42.4 per cent.
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