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Showing posts with label Ath Thun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ath Thun. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Garment sector peace sought
A police officer walks behind a window that was broken during a protest at the Medtecs (Cambodia) factory in Kampong Cham province in February. Photo by Heng Chivoan
Monday, 30 April 2012
Tep Nimol and Shane Worrell
The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 30 April 2012
Tep Nimol and Shane Worrell
The Phnom Penh Post
About 5,000 workers intend to use International Labour Day tomorrow to march a petition to the National Assembly, government and general-secretariat of ASEAN to lobby for better working conditions.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on unions, employers and the Ministry of Labour to take a collaborative approach to stamping out violent protests in the garment industry, a unionist said yesterday.
During a Saturday conference involving 4,000 people from more than 60 union groups, Hun Sen said each group must work to “improve the atmosphere in the garment sector”, according to Som Aun, president of the Cambodian Labour Union Federation.
The call came just days after the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia asked the prime minister to help them combat violent strikes that it said were being spearheaded by unions using “mafia-type tactics”.
Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, however, said yesterday that strikes were occurring only because employers weren’t respecting the labour law or Arbitration Council rulings and were discriminating against union leaders.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Union rips into ILO garment report
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| Garment workers take a break outside a factory on Sisowath Quay before returning to work for an overtime shift in Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district last September. Photo by: Will Baxter |
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Vincent MacIsaac
The Phnom Penh Post
Cambodia's garment factories remain, for the most part, in compliance with national laws and international labour standards, the latest monitoring report from the International Labour Organisation, which was released yesterday, concludes.
This finding was quickly dismissed as out of touch with reality by the president of one of the largest unions representing garment workers, a reaction that was in turn dismissed as predictable by the secretary-general of the Garment Manufacturers’ Association in Cambodia.
“That’s what unions do, they complain,” GMAC’s Ken Loo said.
“Compliance levels generally remain high, although some areas of concern remain,” the ILO said in a statement accompanying its 26th report on working conditions in the Kingdom’s garment sector. It has been monitoring factories here as part of its Better Factories Cambodia programme since 2001.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
CLC Invitation for Press Conference 21/06/11
Dear All:
As Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC) president, I would like to invite you for press conference on 21/Jun/2011 at the General Department of Labour of Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training from 3:30pm.
CLC have an official appointment with the representative of Ministry of Labour to discuss about the actions taken by government on labor rights and union register in Cambodia.
I would like to confirm you that in the International Conference of ILO (ILO, ILC), 2010, Labor Standard Committees raised many cases related to Cambodia. Those cases included killing, dismissal, suspension, and other union discriminations.
For those cases, Royal Government of Cambodia has not pushed companies to solve yet.
ILO Labor Conference’s report pushed government to guarantee the Freedom of Association, accept those workers to work include Naga World case, Absara Angkor Case, and other cases in textile and garment sectors.
Recently, Ministry of Labor has refused to register many independent local unions with unacceptable reasons which are the bad affect on Freedom of Association.
Royal Government of Cambodia has not taken actions yet, and then it leads to this discussion.
The discussion will be from 2:00pm to 3:30pm, and then there will be the press conference about the result of the discussion which will start from 3:30pm at the General Department of Labour (Ground Floor) of Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training.
Thus, I would like to invite you to participate and take detail information for this crucial event.
For more information please contact:
- ATH THORN, CLC’s President 012 998 906
- SIV SOTHEA, BWI’s Project Coordinator 012 664 004
- SOK NARITH, CTSWF’s Vice-General Secretary 012 927 283
ATH THORN
CLC/C.CAWDU’s President
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Unions lobby Subedi
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| Rong Chhun (left), president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, and Ath Thorn (right), president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, speak to reporters yesterday. (Photo by: Heng Chivoan) |
Thursday, 02 June 2011
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post
Surya Subedi, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights, agreed to take concerns raised over the government’s draft union law during a one-hour meeting with union leaders Ath Thorn and Rong Chhun to a meeting of the UN in Geneva in June, the pair told reporters yesterday.
Outside the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Phnom Penh, Ath Thorn, president of Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, said he had raised concerns with Subedi that the law would give excessive arbitrary state control over trade unions.
“This law restricts the creation [of unions] and when they are already created it makes it easy to destroy them,” he said.
“And when they are destroyed, the leaders of [the unions] face imprisonment.”
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Friday, October 01, 2010
Cambodian garment strikers victimised as unions enter talks
1 October 2010
By John Roberts
World Socialist Web Site
By John Roberts
World Socialist Web Site
Thousands of Cambodian garment workers faced continuing victimisation by employers as talks commenced between union, employer and government representatives last Monday.
Union leaders used the negotiations, called for by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, as the basis for calling off industrial action on September 16. The strikes had gone on for four days and attracted support from an estimated 210,000 of the industry’s 345,000-strong workforce. The workers were demanding a minimum monthly wage of $US93, instead of the $61 imposed by an agreement between some union leaders and the government in July.
As soon as the strikers returned to work on September 17, employers began to suspend factory delegates and initiate legal cases against them. Up to 300 were singled out.
Sections of workers began strike action in defence of the suspended representatives almost immediately. Employers’ spokesman, Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) general secretary Ken Loo, said about 10,000 workers from four factories in the capital Phnom Penh and Kandal province were involved in the new strikes.
The government sent in military police to attack protesting strikers. On September 18, at least 12 workers were reportedly injured in clashes with the police. In one incident, 2,000 workers refused to report for their shifts at the River Rich factory because 25 union representatives had been banned from returning to work. According to police officials, the military police moved in when workers tried to stop the factory owner’s car. By the end of last week, around 30 injuries were reported from various confrontations.
The Phnom Penh Post reported that the workers in Kandal province took action on September 18 in defence of the delegates, defying employers’ notices on factory walls warning of automatic sackings if there were no a return to work by the following morning. Industry representatives estimated that as of September 23, 7,000 workers were defying court orders to return to work.
The unions called on the government to intervene. Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union general secretary Ek Sopheakdey said labour leaders had on September 20 appealed to the government to allow the return to work of the delegates.
However, as reported in the Phnom Penh Post on September 21, Prime Minister Hun Sen signed a directive for government officials to cooperate with employers in pursuing legal action against leaders of the September 13-16 strikes and ordered law enforcement officers to prevent any resumption of the strikes.
On September 24 and 25, employers began firing those taking action in defence of the delegates. According to union representatives, 3,300 workers were sacked in Kandal province for striking in defiance of court orders.
Goldfame Enterprise factory delegate Keo Boeun said that workers there had agreed to end their strike on September 23 but when workers arrived for their shift the following day they were told they had been fired.
This week, as the tripartite government-union-employer talks began, Social Affairs Minister Ith Sam Heng called for suspended workers to be reinstated but some employers have ignored this request. Winner Garment Factory representative Lim Phengdsam said the plant had no plans to reinstate suspended workers, citing lack of work.
Employers have claimed that the September 13 to 16 strikes cost the industry $15 million and resulted in the cancellation of overseas orders. At the Goldfame Enterprise plant, workers have this week been allowed to return but were told there is no work. As a result, 2,000 workers were idle, according to union delegate Chea Thida.
Sam Heng’s call for reinstatements followed a letter sent to Cambodia’s commerce minister by five major foreign corporations: Adidas, Levi Strauss, Gap Inc, Hennes and Mauritz and the Walt Disney Company. These clothing giants, which have made billions in profits by exploiting cheap labour in Cambodia, fear that the regime is losing control over the working class.
The letter appealed for the government, unions and employers to work together to restabilise the situation: “As buyers in Cambodia it is important that we can see mature industrial relations taking place, and that the process respects and includes all parties and stakeholders.”
At Monday’s talks, it became clear that the union officials were working for just such an outcome. It was agreed that a committee would be established to conduct the negotiations, with five union representatives, five from the employers and two government officials. Cambodian Confederation of Trade Unions official Vong Sovann said senior union leaders would be nominated, including Confederation president Ath Thun.
The committee was due to begin work on September 29. Despite the virtual lockouts in some factories, the unions were urging calm. Although the government has set no timetable for the negotiations to be completed, the Confederation position was that all strikes would be cancelled pending the final outcome, as long as all workers were reinstated and legal action dropped.
The employers have flatly ruled out any change to the minimum wage increase, which was due to come into effect this month. GMAC secretary Loo said: “We shut the door for the minimum wage, but we always made it very clear we will negotiate the other allowances after October.”
Labour Confederation head Ath Thun said he accepted that the employers would not allow any wage rise, but the unions would seek other concessions. Among those being mooted by union officials are daily food allowances and seniority payments. In effect, the unions have repudiated the wage claim on which the September strike movement was based.
Union leaders used the negotiations, called for by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, as the basis for calling off industrial action on September 16. The strikes had gone on for four days and attracted support from an estimated 210,000 of the industry’s 345,000-strong workforce. The workers were demanding a minimum monthly wage of $US93, instead of the $61 imposed by an agreement between some union leaders and the government in July.
As soon as the strikers returned to work on September 17, employers began to suspend factory delegates and initiate legal cases against them. Up to 300 were singled out.
Sections of workers began strike action in defence of the suspended representatives almost immediately. Employers’ spokesman, Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) general secretary Ken Loo, said about 10,000 workers from four factories in the capital Phnom Penh and Kandal province were involved in the new strikes.
The government sent in military police to attack protesting strikers. On September 18, at least 12 workers were reportedly injured in clashes with the police. In one incident, 2,000 workers refused to report for their shifts at the River Rich factory because 25 union representatives had been banned from returning to work. According to police officials, the military police moved in when workers tried to stop the factory owner’s car. By the end of last week, around 30 injuries were reported from various confrontations.
The Phnom Penh Post reported that the workers in Kandal province took action on September 18 in defence of the delegates, defying employers’ notices on factory walls warning of automatic sackings if there were no a return to work by the following morning. Industry representatives estimated that as of September 23, 7,000 workers were defying court orders to return to work.
The unions called on the government to intervene. Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union general secretary Ek Sopheakdey said labour leaders had on September 20 appealed to the government to allow the return to work of the delegates.
However, as reported in the Phnom Penh Post on September 21, Prime Minister Hun Sen signed a directive for government officials to cooperate with employers in pursuing legal action against leaders of the September 13-16 strikes and ordered law enforcement officers to prevent any resumption of the strikes.
On September 24 and 25, employers began firing those taking action in defence of the delegates. According to union representatives, 3,300 workers were sacked in Kandal province for striking in defiance of court orders.
Goldfame Enterprise factory delegate Keo Boeun said that workers there had agreed to end their strike on September 23 but when workers arrived for their shift the following day they were told they had been fired.
This week, as the tripartite government-union-employer talks began, Social Affairs Minister Ith Sam Heng called for suspended workers to be reinstated but some employers have ignored this request. Winner Garment Factory representative Lim Phengdsam said the plant had no plans to reinstate suspended workers, citing lack of work.
Employers have claimed that the September 13 to 16 strikes cost the industry $15 million and resulted in the cancellation of overseas orders. At the Goldfame Enterprise plant, workers have this week been allowed to return but were told there is no work. As a result, 2,000 workers were idle, according to union delegate Chea Thida.
Sam Heng’s call for reinstatements followed a letter sent to Cambodia’s commerce minister by five major foreign corporations: Adidas, Levi Strauss, Gap Inc, Hennes and Mauritz and the Walt Disney Company. These clothing giants, which have made billions in profits by exploiting cheap labour in Cambodia, fear that the regime is losing control over the working class.
The letter appealed for the government, unions and employers to work together to restabilise the situation: “As buyers in Cambodia it is important that we can see mature industrial relations taking place, and that the process respects and includes all parties and stakeholders.”
At Monday’s talks, it became clear that the union officials were working for just such an outcome. It was agreed that a committee would be established to conduct the negotiations, with five union representatives, five from the employers and two government officials. Cambodian Confederation of Trade Unions official Vong Sovann said senior union leaders would be nominated, including Confederation president Ath Thun.
The committee was due to begin work on September 29. Despite the virtual lockouts in some factories, the unions were urging calm. Although the government has set no timetable for the negotiations to be completed, the Confederation position was that all strikes would be cancelled pending the final outcome, as long as all workers were reinstated and legal action dropped.
The employers have flatly ruled out any change to the minimum wage increase, which was due to come into effect this month. GMAC secretary Loo said: “We shut the door for the minimum wage, but we always made it very clear we will negotiate the other allowances after October.”
Labour Confederation head Ath Thun said he accepted that the employers would not allow any wage rise, but the unions would seek other concessions. Among those being mooted by union officials are daily food allowances and seniority payments. In effect, the unions have repudiated the wage claim on which the September strike movement was based.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Union Leader Calls for More Solidarity After Strikes
A Cambodian garment worker speaks on a loud speaker as she leads a strike to demand the monthly salary raise to US 93 dollars from the current $61. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington, D.C Wednesday, 22 September 2010
“Doing so will give us a strong influence to demand a decent salary for the workers.”
In the wake of last week's strikes, the leader of a federation of unions said workers need even greater unity to defend their interests.
Speaking as a guest on “Hello VOA” on Monday, Ath Thun, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, said workers need to “form one voice.”
“Doing so will give us a strong influence to demand a decent salary for the workers,” he said.
Worker unions will meet with factory managers next week to negotiate better income for workers, through bonuses or some other mechanism, to offset the increased cost of living.
Thousands of workers went on strike last week, saying they were unhappy with their monthly salaries of $61. The strikes ended after four days, when new negotiations were agreed on for Sept. 27.
Ath Thun said some unions have been secretly dealing with manufacturers, but that others were prepared to continue strikes if next week's talks don't produce results.
Meanwhile, some factories have sought the suspension of some union leaders, in what Ath Thun called a “serious violation.”
“We ended our peaceful strike, and there should not be any retaliation once they resume work,” he said.
Speaking as a guest on “Hello VOA” on Monday, Ath Thun, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, said workers need to “form one voice.”
“Doing so will give us a strong influence to demand a decent salary for the workers,” he said.
Worker unions will meet with factory managers next week to negotiate better income for workers, through bonuses or some other mechanism, to offset the increased cost of living.
Thousands of workers went on strike last week, saying they were unhappy with their monthly salaries of $61. The strikes ended after four days, when new negotiations were agreed on for Sept. 27.
Ath Thun said some unions have been secretly dealing with manufacturers, but that others were prepared to continue strikes if next week's talks don't produce results.
Meanwhile, some factories have sought the suspension of some union leaders, in what Ath Thun called a “serious violation.”
“We ended our peaceful strike, and there should not be any retaliation once they resume work,” he said.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Some Workers Continue Strike Over Fired Unionists
An estimated 30,000 workers went on strike last week, demanding more negotiations over salaries they say are too high for the increased cost of living. (Photo: Heng Reaksmey VOA, Khmer)Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 20 September 2010
“I'm striking for 19 labor representatives whom the owner did not allow back to work.”Workers from at least three factories continued to demonstrate on Monday, demanding that union representatives be allowed back to work following last week's general strike.
The workers demonstrated against an order from Kandal provincial court that barred 54 representatives from returning to work at the River Rich, Goldfame Enterprise and Winner garment factories, following a general strike last week that ended Thursday.
The labor leaders are barred from working while the court considers a suit against them by the three factories claiming last week's strikes were illegal.
“I'm striking for 19 labor representatives whom the owner did not allow back to work,” said Uch Sam Ath, a demonstrator, in front of his Goldfame factory in Sa'an district. He estimated some 5,000 of 8,000 workers were on strike, but that number was impossible to verify Monday.
An estimated 30,000 workers went on strike last week, demanding more negotiations over salaries they say are too high for the increased cost of living. The strike cost factories millions of dollars in revenues and led to lawsuits filed alleging the strikes were illegal.
The strikes ended after a brokered agreement for more negotiations later this month.
“We want our labor representatives to return to work, because they are good representatives in defending our labor rights,” said striking worker Sok Rath, outside the Winner factory.
“We're not going to work, because we haven't seen our labor representatives at work,” said Phan Sopha, at River Rich Textile.
Court officials said the leaders were barred from work under court procedures.
Chea Chi Chay, administrative chief for Winner, said the company wanted the representatives to have their day in court, but was requesting “others to go to work as normal and not affect the interests of the workers and the company.”
Ath Thun, president of the Cambodian Labor Confederation, said the court was increasing pressure and threats ahead of the upcoming talks.
“The court order seems to have stirred up more disputes again,” he said.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Cambodia garment workers protest low pay
Encouraged by labor agitation in the region, tens of thousands of workers stage a walkout. It nets only a government proposal to discuss benefits in the future, but organizers call the strike a success.
September 19, 2010
By Brendan Brady
Special to the Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Phnom Penh, Cambodia — Tens of thousands of garment workers staged a walkout in the Cambodian capital in recent days, encouraged by agitation across the region for improved pay and benefits in the low-paying apparel industry.
In Bangladesh, an 80% increase in the monthly minimum wage to $43, still the lowest in the region, didn't stop riots last month by workers who said the raise was not enough.
Cambodia's work stoppage was relatively peaceful, with participants from the industry's overwhelmingly female workforce chanting slogans and occasionally pumping their fists. Work stoppages ended in the middle of last week with a government proposal to discuss workers' benefits at a later date.
Still, protest organizers called the strike a success and framed it as part of a broader movement that included protests aimed at foreign-owned factories in China's coastal provinces and Vietnam.
"Those protests [in other countries] encouraged us," said Ath Thun, who spearheaded the strike and is president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union."Garment workers in those countries received more wages when they protested, so we thought we should too, since our wages are also unacceptably low."
Chan Bopha said she didn't need outside inspiration to realize that her earnings were lean. The 26-year-old protested outside the Chung Fai Knitwear factory in Phnom Penh, where she had worked for nearly a decade.
With overtime, she earned around $80 a month. All the money goes to pay for rent, utilities, food, her children's education and to support her mother. "And then, there's nothing left for anything," she said.
Another worker, 22-year-old Soung Lin, said, "I was striking because I want to send more money home to my parents and brothers. I want my brothers to study to find a good job. I don't want them to become a garment worker like me."
Cambodia averted strikes in July by increasing the monthly minimum wage in the industry by $5 to $61, far less than the $93 that some unions had demanded. Lingering dissatisfaction spurred last week's walkout. Union leaders said more than 200,000 workers took part, but the number appeared to be more in line with the manufacturers' estimate of 30,000.
The garment sector has been the main engine of Cambodia's economic growth since the late 1990s, when the country stabilized politically after years of revolution and civil strife. Garments accounted for 70% of Cambodia's exports in the first half of 2010, according to the government. Gap and Nike are among the major brands that have suppliers in Cambodia.
The garment and footwear industry employs about 350,000 people and supports an additional 1.6 million Cambodians through remittances sent home by workers, according to the United Nations. An estimated 60,000 textile jobs were lost during the global economic downturn in 2008 and 2009.
Garment workers' wage dissatisfaction stems in part from job losses during the economic crisis, said Tuomo Poutiainen, the International Labor Organization's chief technical advisor for its Better Factories Cambodia program. Their hardship was worsened by inflation, especially in food prices.
What's overlooked, says Ken Loo, the secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers Assn. of Cambodia, is that factories are feeling the same squeeze. "Our costs have also risen because of inflation, but because of the bad economy, [retailers'] buying prices have gone down."
The Cambodian garment industry has become more vulnerable to competition. It benefited in recent years from U.S. trade preferences predicated on assurances by the International Labor Organization of proper working conditions and from U.S. and European tariffs on garments from China and Vietnam. Those tariffs have been lifted.
Wage disputes in the region raise the risk of obscuring the fundamental driver of garment incomes, productivity, says Tep Mona, director of a nonprofit vocational training group, the Garment Industry Productivity Center, in Phnom Penh. She said that at most of the 70 factories where her group has conducted training in Cambodia, workers' monthly salaries have risen above $110 because of performance bonuses.
Many factories have limited interest in paying for worker training, however, and uneducated workers intimidated by change also resist, she said.
Brady is a special correspondent.
September 19, 2010
By Brendan Brady
Special to the Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Phnom Penh, Cambodia — Tens of thousands of garment workers staged a walkout in the Cambodian capital in recent days, encouraged by agitation across the region for improved pay and benefits in the low-paying apparel industry.
In Bangladesh, an 80% increase in the monthly minimum wage to $43, still the lowest in the region, didn't stop riots last month by workers who said the raise was not enough.
Cambodia's work stoppage was relatively peaceful, with participants from the industry's overwhelmingly female workforce chanting slogans and occasionally pumping their fists. Work stoppages ended in the middle of last week with a government proposal to discuss workers' benefits at a later date.
Still, protest organizers called the strike a success and framed it as part of a broader movement that included protests aimed at foreign-owned factories in China's coastal provinces and Vietnam.
"Those protests [in other countries] encouraged us," said Ath Thun, who spearheaded the strike and is president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union."Garment workers in those countries received more wages when they protested, so we thought we should too, since our wages are also unacceptably low."
Chan Bopha said she didn't need outside inspiration to realize that her earnings were lean. The 26-year-old protested outside the Chung Fai Knitwear factory in Phnom Penh, where she had worked for nearly a decade.
With overtime, she earned around $80 a month. All the money goes to pay for rent, utilities, food, her children's education and to support her mother. "And then, there's nothing left for anything," she said.
Another worker, 22-year-old Soung Lin, said, "I was striking because I want to send more money home to my parents and brothers. I want my brothers to study to find a good job. I don't want them to become a garment worker like me."
Cambodia averted strikes in July by increasing the monthly minimum wage in the industry by $5 to $61, far less than the $93 that some unions had demanded. Lingering dissatisfaction spurred last week's walkout. Union leaders said more than 200,000 workers took part, but the number appeared to be more in line with the manufacturers' estimate of 30,000.
The garment sector has been the main engine of Cambodia's economic growth since the late 1990s, when the country stabilized politically after years of revolution and civil strife. Garments accounted for 70% of Cambodia's exports in the first half of 2010, according to the government. Gap and Nike are among the major brands that have suppliers in Cambodia.
The garment and footwear industry employs about 350,000 people and supports an additional 1.6 million Cambodians through remittances sent home by workers, according to the United Nations. An estimated 60,000 textile jobs were lost during the global economic downturn in 2008 and 2009.
Garment workers' wage dissatisfaction stems in part from job losses during the economic crisis, said Tuomo Poutiainen, the International Labor Organization's chief technical advisor for its Better Factories Cambodia program. Their hardship was worsened by inflation, especially in food prices.
What's overlooked, says Ken Loo, the secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers Assn. of Cambodia, is that factories are feeling the same squeeze. "Our costs have also risen because of inflation, but because of the bad economy, [retailers'] buying prices have gone down."
The Cambodian garment industry has become more vulnerable to competition. It benefited in recent years from U.S. trade preferences predicated on assurances by the International Labor Organization of proper working conditions and from U.S. and European tariffs on garments from China and Vietnam. Those tariffs have been lifted.
Wage disputes in the region raise the risk of obscuring the fundamental driver of garment incomes, productivity, says Tep Mona, director of a nonprofit vocational training group, the Garment Industry Productivity Center, in Phnom Penh. She said that at most of the 70 factories where her group has conducted training in Cambodia, workers' monthly salaries have risen above $110 because of performance bonuses.
Many factories have limited interest in paying for worker training, however, and uneducated workers intimidated by change also resist, she said.
Brady is a special correspondent.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Union Declaration on 16 Sept 2010
Dear Sir/Madam,
Best Regards,
On behalf of CLC Boards
Vuthy Horng
Project Officer of CLC
Click on the letter from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor and Vocational Training to zoom in
Click on the union statement to zoom in
On behalf of Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC) and Cambodian National Labour Confederation (CNC), we would like to release the information declaration to stop doing strike temporarily according to the declaration that MoSALVY sent to CLC office on 16 Sep, 2010 at 9.45 am for inviting us to negotigate on 27 Sept, 2010 in the short coming days.
For more detail information, please kindly check the attach files of declaration from MoSALVY and Declaration of CLC nabd CNC to workers, publics and relevant organizations.
Thanks for your kind cooperation and support and sorry for any inconvenience.
For more detail information, please kindly check the attach files of declaration from MoSALVY and Declaration of CLC nabd CNC to workers, publics and relevant organizations.
Thanks for your kind cooperation and support and sorry for any inconvenience.
Best Regards,
On behalf of CLC Boards
Vuthy Horng
Project Officer of CLC
Click on the letter from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor and Vocational Training to zoom in
Click on the union statement to zoom in
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Hun Xen signed authorization to sue union leader Ath Thun and his group
Ath Thun talking to workers on 13 Sept 2010 (Photo: Reuters)16 Sept 2010
By Sopheak
Cambodia Express News
Translated from Khmer by Soch
Click here to read the article in Khmer
On 15 September, Ith Sam Heng, the minister of Welfare and Veteran Affairs, sent a report to Hun Xen asking for his decision on Ath Thun, the president of the Cambodian Labor Confederation, who is accused of inciting workers to hold a strike and to demonstrate on 13-15 September to demand for a minimum salary for the workers ranging between $75 and $93 per month.
Hun Xen wrote on 15 September: “Agreed as requested”, thereby authorizing the lawsuit against Ath Thun and his union group. The case will be sent to the court and the Phnom Penh city authority will put down the strike and demonstration.
Hun Xen wrote on 15 September: “Agreed as requested”, thereby authorizing the lawsuit against Ath Thun and his union group. The case will be sent to the court and the Phnom Penh city authority will put down the strike and demonstration.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Cambodian unions say strike could last weeks
Workers in Phnom Penh listen to Ath Thorn, president of Coalition of Cambodia Apparel Workers Democratic Union (Reuters)Wednesday 15 September 2010
By RFI
Striking Cambodian garment workers estimated in the tens of thousands continued their walkout over wage demands on Wednesday. Unions warned that the stoppage, which began Monday, could go on for weeks if employers ignored their appeals.
Estimates for the number of workers taking part in the strike varied wildly.
Kong Athit, secretary general of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, said more than 190,000 workers at 90 factories had taken part, up from 60,000 on Monday. His estimate was disputed by the Garment Manufacturers' Association in Cambodia (GMAC), which put the figure at just over 30,000.
Van Sou Ieng, president of Cambodia's Garment Manufacturers Association, says that unions are intimidating anyone who doesn't want to go on strike.
"It's a violent strike that threatens people's right to work. Only a small minority is demonstrating," said Ieng. "The unions pretend to have a lot of followers, but that's not true. In reality they threaten those who want to work," he told RFI.
The action is the latest in a string of recent strikes in Asia, where employees are demanding a bigger piece of the region's growing economy. Cambodia's garment industry - which produces items for renowned brands such as Gap, Benetton, Adidas and Puma - is a key source of foreign income for the country and employs about 345,000 people.
The strike comes on the heels of a deal between the government and the garment industry, which set the minimum wage for garment and footwear staff at 61 dollars a month. Unions say that amount is not sufficient to cover food, housing and travel expenses, and are asking for a base salary of 93 dollars.
"Two unions have received financial aid from abroad to stage a show of force from the workers and to say that the new minimum wage should not be accepted this quickly and easily," said Ieng.
Athit said that if the employers did not respond by September 18, the workers planned to meet with union representatives to decide whether to extend the strike.
Ken Loo, secretary general of the GMAC, said many workers had been prevented from going to work or had stayed home because of physical threats.
"It is quite sad that the police aren't taking action when these people are breaking the law," he said.
Manufacturers say the strike will result in a loss of production and a drop in orders from buyers, harming Cambodia's standing among investors.
Estimates for the number of workers taking part in the strike varied wildly.
Kong Athit, secretary general of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, said more than 190,000 workers at 90 factories had taken part, up from 60,000 on Monday. His estimate was disputed by the Garment Manufacturers' Association in Cambodia (GMAC), which put the figure at just over 30,000.
Van Sou Ieng, president of Cambodia's Garment Manufacturers Association, says that unions are intimidating anyone who doesn't want to go on strike.
"It's a violent strike that threatens people's right to work. Only a small minority is demonstrating," said Ieng. "The unions pretend to have a lot of followers, but that's not true. In reality they threaten those who want to work," he told RFI.
The action is the latest in a string of recent strikes in Asia, where employees are demanding a bigger piece of the region's growing economy. Cambodia's garment industry - which produces items for renowned brands such as Gap, Benetton, Adidas and Puma - is a key source of foreign income for the country and employs about 345,000 people.
The strike comes on the heels of a deal between the government and the garment industry, which set the minimum wage for garment and footwear staff at 61 dollars a month. Unions say that amount is not sufficient to cover food, housing and travel expenses, and are asking for a base salary of 93 dollars.
"Two unions have received financial aid from abroad to stage a show of force from the workers and to say that the new minimum wage should not be accepted this quickly and easily," said Ieng.
Athit said that if the employers did not respond by September 18, the workers planned to meet with union representatives to decide whether to extend the strike.
Ken Loo, secretary general of the GMAC, said many workers had been prevented from going to work or had stayed home because of physical threats.
"It is quite sad that the police aren't taking action when these people are breaking the law," he said.
Manufacturers say the strike will result in a loss of production and a drop in orders from buyers, harming Cambodia's standing among investors.
Number of striking workers reaches 100,000: Union
Ean Vichara (R) stands with her colleagues Hun Try (C) and Pov Nub during a strike at the Chinese-owned Pine Great Cambodia Garment Co. Ltd. in Phnom Penh September 13, 2010. Cambodian labour activist Moeun Tola blames the Gap Inc, Nike Inc and other big Western brands for sinking Cambodian workers in low wages. Moeun Tola and thousands of Cambodian garment workers began a five-day walkout on Monday to demand better wages and benefits, a sign recent labour unrest in China may be spreading to factories elsewhere in Asia that supply the world with low-cost goods. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea14 Sept 2010
By Pech Bandol
Free Press Magazine Online
Translated from Khmer by Ko Theak
Click here to read the article in Khmer
Ath Thun, President of the Cambodian Labor Confederation, told reporters on Tuesday morning that, at least 50 factories in Cambodia are facing strike and that the total number of workers who walked out of their jobs reaches about 100,000.
Ath Thun said that there will be additional workers who will strike in other factories because they understand the aim of this strike.
The strike which started on 13 September is aimed at demanding for a wage raise to provide a decent salary for the workers, i.e. between $75 and $93 per month. The demand is counter current to the decision issued by the labor council which set the minimum wage to $61 per month in July of this year.
Nevertheless, the strike was not joined by Chea Mony’s Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC). Chea Mony claimed that he already sent the request to the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) to ask for a resolution on the workers’ demand. Nevertheless, the FTUWKC leader, who in the past led intense strikes and demonstrations, did not prevent workers from his union from joining the current strike.
Ath Thun said that there will be additional workers who will strike in other factories because they understand the aim of this strike.
The strike which started on 13 September is aimed at demanding for a wage raise to provide a decent salary for the workers, i.e. between $75 and $93 per month. The demand is counter current to the decision issued by the labor council which set the minimum wage to $61 per month in July of this year.
Nevertheless, the strike was not joined by Chea Mony’s Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC). Chea Mony claimed that he already sent the request to the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) to ask for a resolution on the workers’ demand. Nevertheless, the FTUWKC leader, who in the past led intense strikes and demonstrations, did not prevent workers from his union from joining the current strike.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Government to allow nation-wide strike
Thursday, 09 September 2010
Kim Samath
The Phnom Penh Post
Kim Samath
The Phnom Penh Post
Wage crisis hits point of no return
LABOUR leaders have pledged that a strike that could be the biggest Cambodia has seen in recent memory will be held peacefully and without public disturbance, amid questions about whether authorities will allow the work stoppage to proceed as planned.
Unionists claim to have collected thumbprints from 80,000 workers who have pledged to participate in the five-day strike, slated to begin on Monday, to protest against a July decision setting the minimum wage for garment workers at US$61 per month.
Protest leaders have requested that the monthly wage for Cambodia’s 345,000 garment and footwear workers be set at $93.
Ath Thun, head of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, said strikers would demonstrate at their factories rather than on the streets, and therefore posed no threat to public order.
“The workers can either stay at home or go to the factories, but they will not work for one week,” Ath Thun said.
Ken Loo, secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers’ Association in Cambodia, said on Wednesday that his organisation would advise any factories facing work stoppages to seek court injunctions declaring the strikes illegal and requiring all strikers to return to work within 48 hours.
Cambodia’s Labour Law requires that workers planning a strike give notice to employers and the Ministry of Labour at least seven working days in advance. Union leader Kong Athit said that letters to GMAC and the Ministry of Labour had been sent only yesterday.
Free Trade Union president Chea Mony said the strike’s organisers had not made sufficient effort to negotiate before planning a work stoppage.
“If we strike without holding negotiations and having a clear purpose, it can affect investors, and the government might take action,” Chea Mony said.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak said police would not be stationed at factories pre-emptively, and would not suppress demonstrations so long as they were conducted lawfully and without violence.
“If they follow the law, it doesn’t affect security and order,” Khieu Sopheak said. “We will take action if they break the law by causing violence or destroying factory property.”
Phnom Penh Municipal Governor Kep Chuktema could not be reached. Deputy governor Pa Socheatvong and police chief Touch Naruth said they were too busy to comment.
Loo said it was unlikely that the actual number of strikers would come anywhere close to 80,000. Union leaders, he said, had not considered the effect the strike could have on the sector.
“The unions for sure are not going to suffer,” Loo said. “It’s going to be the workers that are going to be harmed the most.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SAM RITH AND JAMES O’TOOLE
LABOUR leaders have pledged that a strike that could be the biggest Cambodia has seen in recent memory will be held peacefully and without public disturbance, amid questions about whether authorities will allow the work stoppage to proceed as planned.
Unionists claim to have collected thumbprints from 80,000 workers who have pledged to participate in the five-day strike, slated to begin on Monday, to protest against a July decision setting the minimum wage for garment workers at US$61 per month.
Protest leaders have requested that the monthly wage for Cambodia’s 345,000 garment and footwear workers be set at $93.
Ath Thun, head of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, said strikers would demonstrate at their factories rather than on the streets, and therefore posed no threat to public order.
“The workers can either stay at home or go to the factories, but they will not work for one week,” Ath Thun said.
Ken Loo, secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers’ Association in Cambodia, said on Wednesday that his organisation would advise any factories facing work stoppages to seek court injunctions declaring the strikes illegal and requiring all strikers to return to work within 48 hours.
Cambodia’s Labour Law requires that workers planning a strike give notice to employers and the Ministry of Labour at least seven working days in advance. Union leader Kong Athit said that letters to GMAC and the Ministry of Labour had been sent only yesterday.
Free Trade Union president Chea Mony said the strike’s organisers had not made sufficient effort to negotiate before planning a work stoppage.
“If we strike without holding negotiations and having a clear purpose, it can affect investors, and the government might take action,” Chea Mony said.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak said police would not be stationed at factories pre-emptively, and would not suppress demonstrations so long as they were conducted lawfully and without violence.
“If they follow the law, it doesn’t affect security and order,” Khieu Sopheak said. “We will take action if they break the law by causing violence or destroying factory property.”
Phnom Penh Municipal Governor Kep Chuktema could not be reached. Deputy governor Pa Socheatvong and police chief Touch Naruth said they were too busy to comment.
Loo said it was unlikely that the actual number of strikers would come anywhere close to 80,000. Union leaders, he said, had not considered the effect the strike could have on the sector.
“The unions for sure are not going to suffer,” Loo said. “It’s going to be the workers that are going to be harmed the most.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SAM RITH AND JAMES O’TOOLE
Garment workers will strike as planned
Ath Thun, head of the Cambodian Labour Confederation (Photo: Khmer Machas Srok Daily)Friday 10 September 2010
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Soch
A communiqué sent to factory workers, asking them to join a strike to demand for decent salaries, was distributed to a large number of garment factory workers in various municipalities and provinces prior to the one-week strike that will take place on 13 September 2010. Ath Thun, head of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, said that he did not send a request to the ministry of Interior to ask for an authorization to hold the strike because the workers will hold their strike at their factories and there will be no procession along the city. He told The Phnom Penh Post that “Garment factory workers will not go to work and if they show up to their work place, they will not work as long as the ministry of Labor and Professional training and the Garment Manufacturer Association of Cambodia (GMAC) do not accept their demands to increase the workers’ salary by $9 per month.” He indicated that he discussed and explained to the workers about this strike since last week already, and that he is now starting to distribute the communiqué to the workers to inform them about the schedule of the strike.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Unions threaten mass strike
Union leader Ath Thun addresses union members in a discussion about strike plans yesterday. (Photo by: Heng Chivoan)Monday, 16 August 2010
Kim Yuthana
The Phnom Penh Post
MORE than 60,000 garment workers have reportedly pledged to hold a one-week strike next month after the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia rebuffed their request to renegotiate the sector’s newly established minimum wage.
Ath Thun, head of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, said at a meeting in Meanchey district yesterday that labour leaders had collected thumbprints from more than 60,000 workers who vowed to participate in the weeklong strike next month.
“We have abided by the law, but still they have denied us [further negotiations]. Therefore, a huge strike will occur on September 13,” Ath Thun said.
“We want fairness for workers who work very hard, but receive only very small payment.”
Last month, the Labour Advisory Committee, a body of government officials and industry representatives, elected to raise the minimum monthly wage for garment workers by US$5 to $61, a decision that will take effect in October.
However, labour leaders have said the raise is insufficient and have called for an increase to as much as $93 per month, plus additional benefits.
Ath Thun was part of a group of 13 union leaders who wrote to GMAC and the Ministry of Labour earlier this month to call for a new round of wage negotiations. He said the unionists had yet to receive a response to this request, but that there was still time to avert a work stoppage.
“If there is a positive reply from the ministry before the date set for the strike, then we will meet and talk,” Ath Thun said.
GMAC secretary general Ken Loo said yesterday that union leaders and workers must “respect” and “comply” with the LAC’s decision.
“Obviously, we have to comply with the government’s stance. Going on strike is the right of workers and Ath Thun, but they have to abide by the law,” Loo said.
Oum Mean, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Labour, said the LAC’s ruling could not be changed.
“It is the law. It was a decision made by the majority, and it satisfied the workers. Therefore, it is not right for the minority to keep protesting,” he said.
Anthony Pa, a member of the Council of Jurists at the Council of Ministers, warned earlier this month that the government would consider bringing lawsuits and criminal charges against any who engage in unlawful demonstrations.
“If Ath Thun keeps making demands like this and we keep agreeing with him, then one day the garment industry will collapse, and tens of thousands of workers will lose their jobs,” Oum Mean said. “Then will Ath Thun be brave enough to take responsibility and go to prison instead of the workers?”
Ath Thun, head of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, said at a meeting in Meanchey district yesterday that labour leaders had collected thumbprints from more than 60,000 workers who vowed to participate in the weeklong strike next month.
“We have abided by the law, but still they have denied us [further negotiations]. Therefore, a huge strike will occur on September 13,” Ath Thun said.
“We want fairness for workers who work very hard, but receive only very small payment.”
Last month, the Labour Advisory Committee, a body of government officials and industry representatives, elected to raise the minimum monthly wage for garment workers by US$5 to $61, a decision that will take effect in October.
However, labour leaders have said the raise is insufficient and have called for an increase to as much as $93 per month, plus additional benefits.
Ath Thun was part of a group of 13 union leaders who wrote to GMAC and the Ministry of Labour earlier this month to call for a new round of wage negotiations. He said the unionists had yet to receive a response to this request, but that there was still time to avert a work stoppage.
“If there is a positive reply from the ministry before the date set for the strike, then we will meet and talk,” Ath Thun said.
GMAC secretary general Ken Loo said yesterday that union leaders and workers must “respect” and “comply” with the LAC’s decision.
“Obviously, we have to comply with the government’s stance. Going on strike is the right of workers and Ath Thun, but they have to abide by the law,” Loo said.
Oum Mean, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Labour, said the LAC’s ruling could not be changed.
“It is the law. It was a decision made by the majority, and it satisfied the workers. Therefore, it is not right for the minority to keep protesting,” he said.
Anthony Pa, a member of the Council of Jurists at the Council of Ministers, warned earlier this month that the government would consider bringing lawsuits and criminal charges against any who engage in unlawful demonstrations.
“If Ath Thun keeps making demands like this and we keep agreeing with him, then one day the garment industry will collapse, and tens of thousands of workers will lose their jobs,” Oum Mean said. “Then will Ath Thun be brave enough to take responsibility and go to prison instead of the workers?”
Monday, July 26, 2010
Workers held a procession to demand pay raise
26 July 2010Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
About 500 workers from several factories around Phnom Penh led by Ath Thun, President of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, and Mrs. Mam Nhim, President of the Coalition of Cambodian Textile Unions, have gathered in front of the National Assembly in the morning of 25 July 2010 to demand for a pay raise to at least $75 per month. The gathering was followed up by NGOs and human rights organizations. The Phnom Penh authority and cops have set up forces along entrances to the capital and they issued a strong order not to let cars or moto taxis transport workers into the capital for demonstration. The workers disbanded at around 11AM on the same day. Ath Thun warned that if there is no raise in the workers’ salary, a bigger demonstration by the factory workers will take place. He added that today’s gathering is not political, it’s only to demand for a better standard of living for the workers only.
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