Over 10,000 workers went on strike on November 27 at a South Korea-invested plant that makes shoes for Nike Inc. in southern Viet Nam’s Dong Nai province. They demanded higher pay amid rising inflation in the country.
The average monthly salary at the Tae Kwang Vina plant in the Bien Hoa Industrial Zone No 2, which makes shoes solely for Nike, is VND1 million (US$62), around 20 percent more than Viet Nam's minimum wage.
The workers, who produce about 10% of the 75 million pairs of shoes made for Nike in Viet Nam annually, demanded seniority payment for those working over one year and protested against having no bonuses on April 30, a national holiday in Viet Nam.
They also wanted more pay for those in regular contact with toxic environment, besides better lunch and allowances for those not taking annual leave.
By 3.30 pm the same day, company leaders let all workers go home with pay.
The plant near Ho Chi Minh city employs some 14,000 people.
Rising inflation has pushed the Vietnamese government to raise the minimum wage.
Last year, the government increased the minimum wage for workers at foreign firms by 25%.
The government has promised to increase the minimum wage by some 12% in January next year.
By October this year, inflation has risen over 8 percent.
