Workers from up to 69 garment factories in and around Phnom Penh went on strike from 21 to 27 June 2000 to demand that the monthly minimum wage be raised from US$40 to US$70. The US$40 minimum had been set by an agreement between employers and the government in January 1997, and the tripartite Labour Advisory Committee failed to reach a resolution on the demand on 20 June 2000. According to the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, hardship and loss of income forced workers back to work, and the wage question remained unresolved.