12 August 2006
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
On Saturday 12 August, local authorities in the village of Ta Poum, Chamkar Daung commune, Chamkar Leu district, Kompong Cham province, prevented Sam Rainsy Party officials and the President of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU) to educate and distribute Labor Law to workers in the rubber plantation of Chamkar Andaung. The opposition SRP party has accused the act as a violation of the human rights and a serious violation of workers rights.
The labor union is hoping to regroup the workers into a union in the future so they can protect themselves from the violations perpetrated by the owners of the rubber plantations.
Rong Chhun, CCU President, who went to distribute the labor law with Mrs. Mua Sochuor, the senior SRP official, told RFA by phone: “Right now, the authority had prevented us from meeting. They forced us to take out the meeting stand, they are playing very loud music (at the meeting location) to disrupt, they do all they can so that we cannot hold the meeting.”
Mrs. Mua Sochuor regrets the actions of the authorities: “The village chief himself came to accuse us that we are like thieves, that we work like thieves because he was not informed about the event.”
Leang Heng, the police chief of the Chamkar Leu district, said in clarification to the playing of loud music (to disrupt the meeting), that it was done to entertain the workers on Saturday: “There is loud music playing program because it is a Saturday.”
RFA source indicated that the disruption of the meeting on Saturday was instigated by the Chamkar Andaung village chief who ordered the meeting stand to be taken down, several police officers and military police officers were also brought in by the village chief, and very loud music was played on 9 high volume loudspeakers. The union has planned to invite 100 rubber workers to participate in the education meeting.
The workers who came to the meeting decided to walk away from the disruption area (i.e., the meeting stand which was forced to be taken down) and came to sit on the ground to learn about the labor law and the workers rights.
Chamkar Andaung rubber plantation workers and representatives of other workers said that the workers have suffered for several years already, that is why they have decided to form a union and learn about the labor law: “The main point is that the workers themselves are standing up and participate in the Free Trade Union on their own.”
On Saturday, Chin Savoeun, a 46-year-old woman whose name was taken out from the list of workers after she went to meet the former monarch (Norodom Sihanouk) on 26 July, told RFA by phone that the rubber plantation company recalled her back to work at the beginning of last week, however, she received warnings and had to sign a agreement which contained severe terms.
The labor union is hoping to regroup the workers into a union in the future so they can protect themselves from the violations perpetrated by the owners of the rubber plantations.
Rong Chhun, CCU President, who went to distribute the labor law with Mrs. Mua Sochuor, the senior SRP official, told RFA by phone: “Right now, the authority had prevented us from meeting. They forced us to take out the meeting stand, they are playing very loud music (at the meeting location) to disrupt, they do all they can so that we cannot hold the meeting.”
Mrs. Mua Sochuor regrets the actions of the authorities: “The village chief himself came to accuse us that we are like thieves, that we work like thieves because he was not informed about the event.”
Leang Heng, the police chief of the Chamkar Leu district, said in clarification to the playing of loud music (to disrupt the meeting), that it was done to entertain the workers on Saturday: “There is loud music playing program because it is a Saturday.”
RFA source indicated that the disruption of the meeting on Saturday was instigated by the Chamkar Andaung village chief who ordered the meeting stand to be taken down, several police officers and military police officers were also brought in by the village chief, and very loud music was played on 9 high volume loudspeakers. The union has planned to invite 100 rubber workers to participate in the education meeting.
The workers who came to the meeting decided to walk away from the disruption area (i.e., the meeting stand which was forced to be taken down) and came to sit on the ground to learn about the labor law and the workers rights.
Chamkar Andaung rubber plantation workers and representatives of other workers said that the workers have suffered for several years already, that is why they have decided to form a union and learn about the labor law: “The main point is that the workers themselves are standing up and participate in the Free Trade Union on their own.”
On Saturday, Chin Savoeun, a 46-year-old woman whose name was taken out from the list of workers after she went to meet the former monarch (Norodom Sihanouk) on 26 July, told RFA by phone that the rubber plantation company recalled her back to work at the beginning of last week, however, she received warnings and had to sign a agreement which contained severe terms.
1 comment:
The Viet are owning much of Cambodian rubber plantation and the Viet will everything the can to advance their interest!
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