~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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Vietnam : 4,500 strike at SKorean factory

HANOI - Demanding higher pay and better work conditions, 4,500 workers have walked off the job at a South Korean-owned garment factory in southern Vietnam, Vietnamese media and officials said Friday. The workers at the Hansoll Vina factory in Binh Duong province say the plant's Korean managers routinely insult them, said an official at the Binh Duong Trade Union, who only identified himself as Nhan. The union has members who work in industrial zones across Binh Duong province.

The Toui Tre (Youth) newspaper reported Friday that the factory's workers also complained that their bosses force them to work even when they are sick. The strike was the biggest since a wave of labor unrest last year prompted the government to raise the minimum wage for workers at foreign-owned companies. The average monthly salary at the plant is now about $54, more than the minimum monthly wage of $49. The company has been producing garments in Binh Duong since 2002. Factory managers declined to comment on Friday.

The Binh Duong Trade Union is trying broker an agreement between the two sides, Nhan said. Binh Duong province is 19 miles west of Ho Chi Minh City and has been more successful at attracting foreign investment than any other province in Vietnam.

The Associated Press - February 2, 2007.