By Jef Costello
libcom.org
Garment workers are trying to prevent large pay cuts. At the same time building workers have gone on strike in support of sacked colleagues.
The garment workers are threatening strikes in reaction to governement proposals to change the law that compels employers to pay double wages for night work. By cutting this premium by 70% the Prime Minister, Hun Sen, claims he will be able to create tens of thousands of new jobs. The industry is currently responsible for US$2.3bn worth of exports yearly, almost 80% of the total.
The government plans will affect other industries if they can be succesfully applied here. The 70000-strong Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) has threatened strike action. Currently only 10000 out of some 300000 workers work at night, with the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia claiming that night-workers are too expensive. The legislation is clearly an attempt by the government to normalise night work enabling factories to run 24 hours a day. With the minimum monthly wage set at $50 and union members estimating monthly living costs at $57, it is easy to see that workers will be rapidly forced into night work.
Last year there was a large increase in labour disputes and an increase in the number of disputes that led to strikes. For almost 80% of strikes the reason given was the refusal of management to respect employment laws.
In the Naga resort, near the capital Phnom Penh, workers building a new casino have gone on strike, calling for the reinstatement of 36 carpenters who were fired on Sunday. Management is denying that the workers were fired, claiming that the work they had been contracted to do was finished.
The workers, employed by China Central Asia Group, are also angered by salary cuts, one worker said there had been a pay cut from 14000 riels to 8000 per day (£1.76 to £1). Workers also demand that conditions be improved at the site.
One of the workers claimed that management was deliberately pressuring unionised workers to force them to quit. Mœun Tola, the President of the National Building Workers union claimed that the sacked workers were not on the site due to fear of reprisals. Workers and organisers have been reported rising intimidation i recent years and three union leaders have been murdered, with pro-government forces being blamed.
A Cambodian journalist, Keo Nimol, has gone into hiding after Prime Minister Hun Sen called him "insolent" and "rude" during a radio broadcast. It is claimed that after the broadcast Mr Sen asked for personal information on Mr Nimol. During the interview Mr Nimol had tried to ask Mr Sen if rumours of a rift between the two parties in the government coalition were true.
The garment workers are threatening strikes in reaction to governement proposals to change the law that compels employers to pay double wages for night work. By cutting this premium by 70% the Prime Minister, Hun Sen, claims he will be able to create tens of thousands of new jobs. The industry is currently responsible for US$2.3bn worth of exports yearly, almost 80% of the total.
The government plans will affect other industries if they can be succesfully applied here. The 70000-strong Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) has threatened strike action. Currently only 10000 out of some 300000 workers work at night, with the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia claiming that night-workers are too expensive. The legislation is clearly an attempt by the government to normalise night work enabling factories to run 24 hours a day. With the minimum monthly wage set at $50 and union members estimating monthly living costs at $57, it is easy to see that workers will be rapidly forced into night work.
Last year there was a large increase in labour disputes and an increase in the number of disputes that led to strikes. For almost 80% of strikes the reason given was the refusal of management to respect employment laws.
In the Naga resort, near the capital Phnom Penh, workers building a new casino have gone on strike, calling for the reinstatement of 36 carpenters who were fired on Sunday. Management is denying that the workers were fired, claiming that the work they had been contracted to do was finished.
The workers, employed by China Central Asia Group, are also angered by salary cuts, one worker said there had been a pay cut from 14000 riels to 8000 per day (£1.76 to £1). Workers also demand that conditions be improved at the site.
One of the workers claimed that management was deliberately pressuring unionised workers to force them to quit. Mœun Tola, the President of the National Building Workers union claimed that the sacked workers were not on the site due to fear of reprisals. Workers and organisers have been reported rising intimidation i recent years and three union leaders have been murdered, with pro-government forces being blamed.
A Cambodian journalist, Keo Nimol, has gone into hiding after Prime Minister Hun Sen called him "insolent" and "rude" during a radio broadcast. It is claimed that after the broadcast Mr Sen asked for personal information on Mr Nimol. During the interview Mr Nimol had tried to ask Mr Sen if rumours of a rift between the two parties in the government coalition were true.
7 comments:
It is so fucken misleading to use a high number as percentage such as 200% or 70%!! The fucken percentage out of what!!!! As it turn out the 200% is out of $100 monthly salary!!!ahahhahahahahahah
Who the fuck can live on $100 salary when a fucken liter of gasoline in Cambodia cost $1! Oh well! These dirt poor Cambodian workers will have to walk to work!!
How would it takes for these dirt poor Cambodian people to own a car, a motorcycle, a house,...at $100 monthly salary!
Let say something cost:
- cost $500 take about 5 months to own without eating!
- Cost $1000 take about 10 months to own without eating!
- Cost $5000 take about 1.6 years to own without eating!
-Cost $10,000 take about 3.3 years to own without eating!
-Cost $15,000 take about ...
-Cost of land and house...
Here is one interesting fact about Cambodia under AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave system! For any Cambodian people to own anything in Cambodia and they must cough up all the fucken money up front before owning anything! There is no such thing as credit card system or layaway plan!
If you don't have all the money, nobody want to see your face!ahahha
Oh well! If Cambodian people do decide to eat and pay for all living expense and the time frame to own anything in Cambodia will be triple or quadruple to own!
Actually, you can get by with 30-40
USD/month in Cambodia. Therefore,
if you make 50USD/month, you can
save 20%+ of you salary. That is a
lot better than Ah Khmer-Gringoes
in Long Beach who have shit to
save. Right now, most of them are
still sucking on government
welfare. It is soooo pathetic!
To 9:27PM!
I had argue on this issue before! Why don't you show me the fucken statistic? How many of them on government welfare and compare that to the AH VIET-GRINGOES!
I will be waiting to kick your fucken ass again!
Well, the stat may not be that
reliable because it could be easily
biased to protect the US image
for having crappy education
system and public assistance
programs. The best bet is to go with
first hand eyeswitnesses, and you
will find serveral testimonies
here and other forums. Just look
for it. I have seen it.
To 2:20AM!
You better stand down!I thought so!
Bullshits! there are close to
500,000 of Ah Khmer-Gringoes in
the US today, and a good portion
of them are both computer
illiterate and language illiterate.
Am I wrong?
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