Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
07/05/2007
The National Assembly is set to debate an amendment to the labor law that would greatly reduce the night wages of factory workers, in one of the country's most volatile industries.
The amendment seeks to lower the wage from twice the amount of day work to just 30 percent above, potentially sparking widespread reprisals from disgruntled garment workers. The amendment was already approved by a lower committee and will move to the floor for debate.
Chea Mony, leader of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, a large union, warned that if the Assembly adopts the amendment, the union will stage a massive strike. He called the wage reduction amendment "brainless."
Opposition lawmaker Keo Remy said he was against the amendment and would work to stop it.
The amendment seeks to lower the wage from twice the amount of day work to just 30 percent above, potentially sparking widespread reprisals from disgruntled garment workers. The amendment was already approved by a lower committee and will move to the floor for debate.
Chea Mony, leader of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, a large union, warned that if the Assembly adopts the amendment, the union will stage a massive strike. He called the wage reduction amendment "brainless."
Opposition lawmaker Keo Remy said he was against the amendment and would work to stop it.
This is shameless of current government and the shadowed assembly that don't help to increase the salary for the poor, but reduce their wage with a very low reason.
ReplyDeleteThe reasons hey decide like this in order to see more mushrooming of garment factories being built. But they don't create anti-corruption law, reduce buearocracy and illegal procedure fee...etc
But to reduce wage for those poor and increase wage for those rich...
This is called the government of having no compassion and pro-poor conscience...
No, this government is working for
ReplyDeletepoor people, that is why they have
to cut down some salary from
selfish people in order to open
more opportunities for the poor to
start their lives. Furthermore,
30% is still too damn high. They
should considered 15-20% instead,
which fair enough for shift
differantial compensation.
Let Righteousness prevail!
Shame to all those lawmakers and their supporters! They should reduce their own remunerations from around US$2000 first, before lowering night shift workers' pay rates.
ReplyDeleteThey should adopt resolutions demanding the government to promote decent cheap-rental housing and also cheap and safe public transport for workers from rural areas. Let our public transport operators not charge them double fares when they return homes for the Khmer New Year, the religious festival for the dead (Phchum Ben) or for elections.
It should be reminded that the present ruling party, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), was originally the party of the workers and peasants, and the poor. Let it not become a butterfly looking down on the caterpillar that gives birth to it. Let our own rich and the foreign rich remind themselves of the piece of Khmer universal wisdom on the need care for the poor: the rich ought to look after the poor just as the clothes wrap around the body" (keak mean reaksa ksot doch sampot poit pi krau). Let' s promote this wisdom as a core value of our Khmer nation. Let's prevent the return of the exploitation of amn by man (l' exploitation de l' homme par l' homme).
Let's praise our workers for altogether they have contributed more to the country's export and earn it more foreign exchange than than many national tycoons. Actually, not many national tycoons have produced nothing to export and earn foreign exchange for the country. They have got rich by importing and spending part of the foreign exchange that our workers have earned through their labour incorporated in those exported garments.
I'd like ask VOA what make it say the garment industry as on "one of the most volatile industries.". It is not to scare our workers into accepting such reduction? It seems that industry has grown from strength to strength.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
I wonder if these stupid Cambodian National Assembly members are willing to start a fucken debate or pass a fucken law to cut their salary by 30% first before they can agree on the debate to cut dirt poor Cambodian salary by 30%!!!
ReplyDeleteNever in the world where a fucken government want to pass a fuck law or debate to make their people poorer!!!If Cambodian people can't earn a fucken decent living by working for one of these fucken factories and I suggested that those fucken factories need to be closed down and move their fucken operation somewhere else! Stupid Cambodian government can't no longer support or subsidize these fucken factories just slave Cambodian people!
This is the result of AH HUN SEN Vitcong slave "Rectangular Strategy" to move Cambodia forward economically? Damn! Cambodian people had been deceived again, again, and again! Cambodian people should know by now that AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave main job is to deceive Cambodian people until the day he die!
With all the fucken high inflation, high energy cost, high healtcare cost, high education cost, high transportation cost, high land cost, high housing cost,... these dirt poor Cambodian people who take a fucken 30% salary cut will damage their living of standard!
If the fucken law pass, those motherfuckers Vietcong slave who voted for the salary cut will pay!!
Just want to share some of that. As far as i know, there might be a confusion of the word using between night shift work and overtime work. Current labor law states that if u work overtime on Sunday and night, the rate shall be 200% of normal wage. I doubt if the propased law is to reduce this rate to 130% or it is amenmded for the night shift work (not overtime work).
ReplyDeleteEither for overtime work or for night shift work, it should not below 150%.
Lok pu Loa, i note that only you that declar your name in the comment, however, i can only use my next name "LHM". Of course, when i have chance, i will visit your home. Thanks
LHM
There is no country on this planet
ReplyDeletethat paid more than 15% for shift
differential work, you fools, not
to mention some country don't even
have such compensation.
And 130% is still to damn high. We
need more cut. We need fairness if
we are to expect more bussinesses
to come into Cambodia.
Mr.LHM
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind commentators preserving their anonymity. It's their right and blogs are designed for that.
Welcome to visit me, either in Cambodia or in Hong Kong. Please come to Hong Kong and be my guest. Let me know when you plan to come.
Looking forward to seeing you in person some day.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
Dear Boromakrou Mong Hay,
ReplyDeleteI admire your effort for the justice and dignity of Cambodia...
"The rich ought to look after the poor just as the clothes wrap around the body" (neak mean reaksa ksot doch sampot poit pi krau)."
To dumb ass! 11:55AM!
ReplyDeleteWhat planet do you live on man? Do you live on Mars? If you think it is the fucken problem because of the so called "shift" and why not get rid of the fucken "shift" and why the fuck these motherfuckers want to debate and pass a fucken law for if it is all about the fucken "shift"!
You know too damn well monkey! It is not about the fucken "shift"!!!It is about the fucken money! It is about Cambodian people hard earn money!
AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave had taken so much from Cambodian people in form of corruption which cost Cambodia hundred of million of dollars every year and now he want to take Cambodian people money by using law? ahahahhahahhah
This is outrageous! AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave couldn't pass
anti-corruption law but he sure can pass a law to take more money from dirt poor Cambodian people!!!
What about Cambodian freedom of speech? Oh well! AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave took away that too!
What about Cambodian people right to live on their land? Oh well! AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave took away that too! AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave can take away Cambodian people life too! But for now, AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave just want the fucken money to support his nicotine addiction!!ahahahahhah
Hi 11:55am,
ReplyDeleteI don't know much how the other contries provide the rate for thier workers. However, if u r living here (Cambodia), u might be aware that the stardard living of the workers is not better yet, they are still in the dangeriouse health problem (not enough good foods to support), security problem etc. How come you want to cut all that tiny gain from them!!!
If u r rich enough, you might try to run business here, since u will see that why there is no enough investors come to invest, especially ethical investors. U can just try to do the business here in the right way such that u pay all taxes, u follow labor law, u follow the business ethic. If u do so, i guarantee that, not lastfor three to six months, your business will be closed.
Pls try to do it, if u have enough capital, i would apply to do as your staff, if u like.
LHM
4:23, under normal circumstance,
ReplyDeletewhen the jobless rate is low as
in some of the developed country,
the government don't get involved
in that sort of thing. The company
often, on their own freewill,
offered extra incentive to people
attract them to work the night's
shift. Otherwise, people would
prefered to work in the day
because they could easily find
day's work during the day.
However, because the Jobless rate
is high, the company need not to
offered anything because people
will look for work in any shift.
The only reason the government step
in at this moment is to ease the
pressure on the companies with
the hope to attract more companies
into Cambodia. You can't put stupid
pressure on company and expected
more bussinesses from them.
And once, we got our jobless rate
to where we wanted to be, I am sure
the government will not imposed
anything on the company whatsoever.
It will be up to the company to
do the right thing to survive, just
like in developed countries.
Mr. LHM,
ReplyDeleteYou need to spell out why the reasons why morality cannot help anybody to make money and grow rich. I'd like to see whether Mahatma Gandhi was right when he said that "Commerce without Morality" was one of seven dealy sins. Buddha also taught fairness (sama achivo?)in business.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
Thanks for your comments 8:47pm and Lork pu Lao. I know for sure that i can not do anything beyond this at the moment. Just stand still to see my workers crying!!! otherwise crying too!!!
ReplyDeleteLHM
Dr. Lao, haven't you got any sense
ReplyDeleteof bussiness? I bet you will
never make CEO from the way you
talk. Look, the government has been
accused of corruption for spending
about 50USD more on a flights fare,
and spending about 30% more on
office equipments ... . The same
with bussinesses, if the CEO spend
200% on staff, when they can
easily get the beggers to do it
at minimum rate, the CEO will we be
accused of corruption and his
career will be over. It is not evil
to do your job properly. You are
misinterpreting things. Try to be
fair here, will ya?
Mr.8:05AM
ReplyDeleteI learned about morality in business at a very young age. I was four or five years old when I accompanied my mother to Phnom Penh to borrow money from a rich businessman. That eaderly businessman said many things to my mother. But one thing that has stuck to my mind and heart since then is his following words: " It is a sin to charge exorbitant rates of interests." He charge my mother 3 per cent interest per month which very moderate at that time. I have still believed he meant what he said.
My parents employed servants all the year round and also additional workers dependending on the farming seasons. All of us treated all of them as members of our family, eating and working together.
My parents were not the type of great CEO, but during the Khmer Rouge times, they were not so badly treated by Khmer Rouge cadres in the village one of whom happened to be the son of of one of his servants for whom he had arranged a marriage and to whom he had given land to cultivate.
Many great CEOs who were slave drivers in my parents's days escaped or got killed. Please read Pin Yathay's book L' Utopie meutriere or Murderous Utopia. You'll see what compelled him to escape after he had met one of his former public works workers who became Khmer Rouge or something.
I 'm a great CEO but I've been boss one time or another. But many of my former subordinates still maintain good relations with me.
Look at the Japanese industrial relations and the Japanese CEOs's or company chairmen's treatment of their workers. T know more, please read the book Understanding Japan (?) whose Khmer version is published by the University of Cambodia in Phnom Penh.
Anyhow I still believe in what Mahatma Ghandhi called one of the seven deadly sins: "Commerce without morality." I still believe in Khmer universal wisdom: the rich look after the poor (neak mean reaksa ksot).
I'm dead against exploitation of man by man - l'exploitation de l' homme par l' homme.
I'm not rich, but I can claim I'm richer than many rich fellow Cambodians.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
Dr. Lao, I am sure there are some
ReplyDeleteJapanese company who have asked our
government to do this, that is not
to control the bussinesses. The
government don't just do things for
fun of it, in case you don't know.
What you really need to know is
the truth about bussinesses. Not
all of them succeeded. At best,
only one or two in a hundred who
made it, and the one who failed
often lost their life saving.
Anyhow it appears to me that your
faith in capitalist economy is
rather weak, maybe you preferred
communist economy where people are
treated as equal.
Mr.3:44PM
ReplyDeleteWhen the Khmer universal wisdom says that the rich look after the poor, it does admit inequality of wealth and does not discourage people to get rich.
Only wild capitalists do not care about the well-being of workers. The economy of Hong Kong is among the most capitalist economies in the world. Yet Hong Kong capitalists do not ignore the plight of poorly paid workers and the poor in general. The government is actively prodding companies to increase wages of low paid workers. It will enact a law fixing minimum wages if this policy fails. The poor can seek and do receive social assistance from the government.
Our leaders have swung from one extreme (communism) to another extreme (capitalism. Our army conscripted people and has abandoned war veterans to other ministries (social affairs the woman's affairs. Some of them have gone begging while army commanders are living a very luxurious life.
I happened to help rescue the driver and passengers in a taxi which had smashed into a tree at great speed just near the Thnol Tor Tung junction. Two army officers sstop his car as well to look at the taxi. They spotted two soldiers in it and requested me to help rescue them. When I asked them to join in and give a hand, they excused themselves claiming to have an urgent business to attend to, left the scene of the accident and resumed their journey. How can I forget their indifference?
I don't think we can have a harmonious society or build strong nationhood when the rich do not care for the poor, the powerful do not care for the powerless, the strong do not care for the weak, the learned do not care for the ignorant. I would lie to, cheat, exploit or make money from people richer, more stronger and more learned than myself, not people less rich, less strong or less learned than myself, if I were to be that wicked.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
Dr. Lao, let us not go into the
ReplyDeletesoldier living the scene of an
accident here. We can discuss this
separately if you want.
Here, your perceiption of the rich
not caring for the poor is not
correct. Most of the rich work very
hard to help the poor, but they
are doing it more effective and
efficient way than what you are
proposing. Secondly, how rich will
the rich be if no one can afford
to buy their product? Thus, your
assumption is not generally correct
about the riches are evils.
But before I go into that let me
say that I believe we have minimum
wave also, and if I am wrong, I am
in full support of minimum wage for
all. Now, for Hong Kong, if you can
point out to me that they have law
that required company to pay night
worker more than day time worker,
I am willing to follow the Hong
Kong Policy, fair?
Okay then, here the benifits of
eliminating pressure on companies
to pay night workers more: first,
it will uncouraged companies to
operate all shifts instead of just
operating day shift to save money.
As a consequence, the company need
not to spend money to build more
plants to operate in the day time
if they want to expand their
bussinesses. They can just use the
same plant 24 hrs a day; hence
save them a bundle. Furthermore,
by not pressuring companies, it
will allowed them to hire more
employee. Accordingly, this will
drop the jobless rate and increase
the demand for workers. And as
the demand for workers increased,
so will the workers' chance of
getting better salary and benefit
in the future. Do you see what I
mean?