Thai workers torch plant
On December 17, 2000 angry workers at Sanyo Universal Electric burned down a four-storey warehouse and the office building of the Japanese manufacturer in Thailand after protesting in vain at management's decision to cut their year-end bonus to half of the previous year's level.
Employing the workers mainly on a casual basis, a practice common in Thailand, means that overtime pay and bonuses usually account for a big chunk — more than one-third on average — of their take-home pay, and that they are not entitled to vacation or benefits.
Labour disputes in Thailand have risen from 495 in 1991 to 1075 in 1995.