Cambodian employees of US oil giant Caltex strike for higher wage

Hundreds of Cambodian staff employed by the U.S.-owned petroleum giant Caltex went on strike Monday to demand a higher wage. The protest burst out simultaneously at all 26 Caltex petrol stations in the country as station attendants and mart assistants held banners, demanding the company to raise their monthly minimum wage to 160 U.S. dollars from the current 110 U.S. dollars and urging the firm to provide them an annual bonus. "The strike is to demand a minimum wage of 160 U.S. dollars and an annual bonus for all Cambodian employees," a petrol station attendant Roth Sam Oeun told Xinhua. "We will not stop the strike unless our demands are met." Sar Mora, president of the Cambodian Food and Service Workers Federation (CFSWF), which led the strike, said Caltex, which is a branch of the U.S. oil giant Chevron, has paid its Cambodian employees lower than other oil suppliers such as French-owned Total Cambodge. "The U.S. always says about human rights violation, so its company should honor its staff by providing a decent wage," he said. Caltex officials could not be reached for comments Monday. The oil supplier opened its first petrol station in Cambodia in 1996. Strikes for higher wages are common in this Southeast Asian nation, particularly in the garment sector, which is the kingdom' s largest foreign exchange earner.