Strikers at shoe plant object to new law

Thousands of Vietnamese workers at a footwear factory were on strike for a sixth day on Wednesday over a social insurance law in a rare challenge to government policy.

Several thousand people at the Taiwan-owned Pou Yuen factory in southern Ho Chi Minh City began the stoppage on March 26. Pou Yuen Vietnam, which employs more than 80,000 workers, is a subsidiary of Pou Chen Group and makes footwear for companies such as Nike and Adidas.

The workers continued the peaceful strike in the factory's compound on Wednesday under a heavy police presence. They marched along Highway 1 with banners and beating drums on Monday and Tuesday, blocking traffic on the main road artery.