April 04, 2008	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1429

HANOI: A factory that makes shoes for Nike in Vietnam has been shut after scuffles broke out at the end of a two-day strike over salary grievances, officials and the US sportswear giant 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), saying they needed better pay to cope with spiralling inflation.

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

But Mai Thanh Khai, chief labour inspector for the province, said minor clashes had broken out when some employees refused to go back to work, forcing police to intervene.

The manager of the Taiwanese-owned plant was forced to temporarily close the facility and workers were given three days off, the inspector said. “The Ching Luh factory is remaining closed until management is confident that all workers support the negotiated settlement,” Nike spokesman Chris Helzer said on Thursday.

—AFP