Nike factory in Vietnam shut after minor clashes

HANOI (AFP) — A factory that makes shoes for Nike in Vietnam has been temporarily shut down after minor clashes broke out at the end of a two-day work stoppage, government and union officials said Thursday.

More than 15,000 workers went on strike on Monday at the Ching Luh factory in southern Long An province to demand a monthly pay rise of 200,000 dong (12.4 dollars), saying they needed better pay to cope with spiralling inflation.

Union official Nguyen Thi Dung said the strike had ended on Wednesday after workers agreed to the management's offer of a raise of 100,000 dong a month.

But as workers returned to their posts, a senior worker and a security guard got into a scuffle, said union chief Pham Thi Lap.

Mai Thanh Khai, chief labour inspector for the province, said minor clashes had broken out, and that ...