Worker unrest

Disturbances broke out outside a Taiwanese-owned footwear factory in Saigon after a sacked employees went on hunger strike, according to a spokesman for the local trade union. Police were forced to intervene when passers-by joined the protests outside the Hue Phong Plant, which has been the scene of repeated disputes in recent months amid accusations in the official press of poor working conditions and abuse of child labour. A strike by thousands of workers earlier this year prompted an investigation by Go Vap district officials, Saigon trade union official Mai Duc Chinh, who said: 'More than 3,000 workers work regularly in the plant but the company has signed only seasonal contracts to avoid paying social insurance, and conditions in the company dormitories were extremely cramped. The authorities were still investigating the child labour accusations, although Vietnamese law permitted 15-year-olds to do suitable work under parental supervision.' Taiwanese and South Korean-owned footwear and garment factories in both Saigon and neighbouring provinces have been the scene of frequent industrial disputes in recent years. Dozens of Asian sub-contracting firms have set up there to take advantage of Vietnam's huge reservoir of cheap labour.