http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/1/apworld/20080601152809&sec=apworldSunday June 1, 2008 MYT 3:28:43 PM
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - About 1,000 workers at a Panasonic factory in northern Vietnam have gone on strike to demand higher pay to keep pace with the rising cost of living, state media reported Sunday.
The workers at Panasonic Communications Vietnam Co., Ltd. walked off the job Saturday in Hanoi, according to a report on the Dan Tri newspaper's Web site.
Consumer prices in Vietnam have climbed 25.2 percent in the past year, according to government figures. About 300 strikes have hit companies across the country in the first quarter of the year.
It was unclear how much of a wage increase the Panasonic workers were demanding.
The company has been paying its workers an average monthly salary of 1,050,000 Vietnamese dong (US$66; euro42), 50,000 Vietnamese dong (US$3; euro1.93) higher than the minimum wage required by the government, the Dan Tri report said.
Company officials were not available for comment Sunday.
Panasonic Communications has been operating in Hanoi since 2006. The company produces high-tech electric and electronic products such as phones and optical disk drives for export-AP