Agence France-Presse
Cambodian union leaders on Thursday called off a mass strike by tens of thousands of garment workers demanding higher wages after the government stepped in and arranged talks with manufacturers.
Ath Thun, president of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, told AFP employees had started to return to work after unions released a joint statement saying the response from the government was reasonable.
Social Affairs Minister It Samheng said the government would sit down with both sides in the dispute on September 27 to discuss "benefits for garment and footwear workers".
The minister warned that further stoppages could "affect benefits for the workers, employers, and our nation that is facing the impact of the global financial crisis."
The breakthrough brings an end to the latest large-scale industrial action in an Asian country, where employees are growing increasingly vocal in their demands for a larger share of the region's economic success.
Cambodia's garment industry -- which produces items for renowned brands including Gap, Benetton, Adidas and Puma -- is a key source of foreign income for the country and employs about 345,000 workers.
Turnout estimates for the strike have been hotly disputed, with unions saying around 210,000 workers at 95 factories were on strike Thursday morning, up from 60,000 on Monday when they started the stoppage.
But the Garment Manufacturers' Association in Cambodia (GMAC) said Wednesday the figure was much lower, at around 30,000.
The strike followed a deal between the government and industry that set the minimum wage for garment and footwear staff at 61 dollars a month.
Unions say the salary is not enough to cover food, housing and travel expenses, and want a base salary of 93 dollars.
Manufacturers have warned that the strike will result in a loss of production and a drop in orders from buyers, harming Cambodia's standing among investors.
Ath Thun, president of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, told AFP employees had started to return to work after unions released a joint statement saying the response from the government was reasonable.
Social Affairs Minister It Samheng said the government would sit down with both sides in the dispute on September 27 to discuss "benefits for garment and footwear workers".
The minister warned that further stoppages could "affect benefits for the workers, employers, and our nation that is facing the impact of the global financial crisis."
The breakthrough brings an end to the latest large-scale industrial action in an Asian country, where employees are growing increasingly vocal in their demands for a larger share of the region's economic success.
Cambodia's garment industry -- which produces items for renowned brands including Gap, Benetton, Adidas and Puma -- is a key source of foreign income for the country and employs about 345,000 workers.
Turnout estimates for the strike have been hotly disputed, with unions saying around 210,000 workers at 95 factories were on strike Thursday morning, up from 60,000 on Monday when they started the stoppage.
But the Garment Manufacturers' Association in Cambodia (GMAC) said Wednesday the figure was much lower, at around 30,000.
The strike followed a deal between the government and industry that set the minimum wage for garment and footwear staff at 61 dollars a month.
Unions say the salary is not enough to cover food, housing and travel expenses, and want a base salary of 93 dollars.
Manufacturers have warned that the strike will result in a loss of production and a drop in orders from buyers, harming Cambodia's standing among investors.
6 comments:
currency jobs markets are very hard to find if you have a job stay on your job do not go on strike it very bad you and your company for loss of productivies.
Yes I agreed with 5:42am, but this does not mean that I support the government. It just that, given the current economic envrionment around the world include the US and Europe, it is very fortunate that Cambodian still have those garment job! This is not the right time to walkout from your job!
Good luck to verybody!
yes, that is one point. other than that, if the cost of doing business in the country is further reduced, particularly hidden and unofficial cost, then workers could have had more chance of getting bigger pay while employers could have not been hard like they are now.
Investors look at their bottom lines, so don't expect pay parity with other countries. What the union should do is try to achieve the best possible outcome given the circumstance.
A lot of times the union and employers just want to beat each other up resulting in a lose lose outcome. Pls remember that everyone is a stakeholder.
In USA no body want to be on strike,because they are hard to find a new job to do,if they are not working they are trouble with utility bill in their house.
a big strike like this should be compromised and negotiated, etc! in this case, i don't think people are unreasonable, they just a fair living wages to meet the cost of living standard as things did change in cambodia's economy, etc, you know!
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