Caltex Loosing Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars, Striking Workers Say

A woman with a sticker on her face reading, "We need $160 per month" protests at a Caltex petrol station in Phnom Penh May 14, 2014. Caltex employees gathered to demand an increase in minimum wage, to $160 per month.

Chevron’s Caltex gas stations are potentially losing hundreds of thousands of dollars per day in Cambodia, striking employees say.

Up to 300 workers from 18 different stations continue to call for a raise in the minimum wage, to $160 per month.

Workers say Caltex, a subsidiary of US-based multinational Chevron, sells between 5,000 to 10,000 liters per station per day, putting its losses between $350,000 to $700,000 since the strike began three days ago.

Caltex and Chevron officials declined to comment on their losses, while union officials say negotiations are “stuck.” The company has said it will work toward higher wages later in the year, a position the workers did not accept.

“We will go on with our strike until our demands are met,” said Soy Hom, a Caltex employee.

Workers say they plan to bring a petition to the US Embassy on Thursday.