Taiwanese-owned shoe factory Pou Chen, a massive contract footwear manufacturer with clients such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Asics and Converse, has been forced to reverse a new employee bonus policy after thousands of workers went on strike to protest the regulation.
On Thursday last week, the outfit announced a new policy which would revoke year-end bonuses for employees who took four or more days off a year, reports Thanh Nien.
Employees at the company's Dong Nai factory were quick to show their disapproval by refusing to work until the policy had been reversed. Of Pou Chen's 21,600 employees, 17,000 took up the strike, which began on Friday and was expected to continue into this week. Yesterday, however, Pou Chen management did a 180 on their new policy, reports the Taipei Times.
This is not the first time Pou Chen has faced pushback from its employees in Vietnam. Last year, 90,000 workers also went on strike at Pou Chen facilities to protest new pension regulations imposed by the local government. Across Vietnam, Pou Chen employs 160,000 workers in Saigon, Tay Ninh, Tien Giang and Dong Nai.
[Photo via Wall Street Journal]
