More than 700 current and former employees of NagaWorld went on strike this morning in front of the Phnom Penh casino, and continued their strike after a Phnom Penh Court official informed them that the court had ruled it illegal.

The group of workers from the Labor Rights Supported Union of khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU) were surrounded by hundreds of police, para-police and company security guards as they gathered this morning to reiterate nine demands, including the reinstatement of 365 workers who were among the more than 1,300 workers laid off by the company in April 2021.

Those layoffs unfairly targeted union members and leaders, and union leaders have filed complaints to the Ministry of Labour and Arbitration Council arguing the company violated Cambodian law and several ILO conventions. The layoffs were also often accompanied by improper compensation, according to LRSU leaders, who said in a press release that support for the strike action stood at 97% of the 1,653 members who voted.

The striking workers responded to the reading of the Phnom Penh court order ruling the strike illegal by a court official, who identified himself as Seiha, with cheers. The court order, signed by Judge Ros Piseth, also noted that the company was “worried” that striking workers would create “insecurity to society and the company”, and would find any currently employed striking workers who did not return to work within 48 hours to be guilty of “serious misconduct”.