Worker rights

Four workers were questioned at the Svay Rieng Provincial Court on Sunday for allegedly participating in violent protests that effectively shut down factory operations in two special economic zones (SEZs) in Bavet City last week, according to officials. ...

More than 1,000 Cambodian workers working for eight South Korean companies here gathered yesterday at National Olympic Stadium for “Korea Day for Cambodian Friends,” a celebration of Korean culture and a chance to thank employees for their hard work. ...

Although Cambodia signed off on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Malaysia on Thursday that will once again allow the country to send domestic workers to its Asean neighbor, a Labor Ministry spokesman said it will not take effect for months. ...

Many female garment workers still do not know their rights and work in unsafe and substandard conditions, a new study has found. ...

Hundreds of garment workers from two factories – in Phnom Penh and Kandal – yesterday burned car tyres in protest of the labour conditions at their workplaces.The 150 demonstrators in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district work for Conpress Holdings (Cambodia) Garment Factory Ltd. They demanded that ...

More than 50,000 Cambodian migrants were deported from Thailand through the Poipet International Border Checkpoint, the main point of return for migrants, since the beginning of this year, according to a Banteay Meanchey provincial police official. ...

Cambodian migrants working in Thailand to process chicken for European consumers are forced into debt bondage and subjected to a range of rights violations, according to a new report.Trapped in the Kitchen of the World, which was released on Wednesday by European NGOs Swedwatch and ...

Young people in Cambodia are often taken advantage of by factories because of their inexperience and lack of understanding about labor rights, but the Youth Resource Development Program (YRDP) is trying to change that by educating young people on unions and dispute management in the ...

Cambodian sex workers are often thought of as victims of trafficking. And that may be true for some. For others, however, work in the country’s entertainment sectors offers financial security, and sex work becomes a choice. ...

Unionists, factory representatives and Labor Ministry officials on Thursday failed to find a solution for about 1,600 employees of a garment factory in Takeo province who were fired for striking last month, and the case will be passed along to the Arbitration Council, a ministry ...

About 100 garment workers from a factory in Takeo province that supplies German sports brands Puma and Adidas protested in front of the Labor Ministry Wednesday to demand the reinstatement of about 1,600 staff fired last month for striking over inadequate benefits. ...

Representatives of the private sector and rights groups met yesterday at a forum on business and human rights to discuss how Cambodia’s growing industry can protect the rights of its workers. ...

Dozens of military police were deployed in Phnom Penh on Wednesday as about 80 truck drivers rallied outside the General Department of Cus­toms and Excise demanding tax breaks and for right-hand drive vehicles to be legalized, an official said. ...

The bus company under-fire for a string of reported crimes allegedly committed by their staff, including a recent sexual assault – have pledged to introduce new measures and training to limit such incidents in the future. ...

Two garment workers who broke away from the only union operating at their factory in Kompong Speu province in an attempt to provide workers an alternate choice for representation were charged Wednesday with a slew of crimes and are being held in provisional detention, officials ...

Dozens of workers fainted at a garment factory in Kompong Chhnang province on Friday after seeing one of their colleagues have a seizure, which they feared was caused by an electric shock from her sewing machine, a police official said. ...

The government set the new monthly minimum wage for the country’s multibillion-dollar garment industry at $140 Thursday—up from $128—after months of tough negotiations that failed to bring employers and unions even close to a consensus. ...

Factory and union representatives remain as far apart as ever over where to set next year’s minimum wage for garment workers, now at $128 per month, after hours of heated negotiations Wednesday and a vote that seemed to settle nothing. ...

The tripartite Labor Advisory Committee (LAC) on Monday missed its provisional deadline to decide on a new minimum wage for the garment sector, with employers and trade unions making little progress in coming to an agreement. ...

The Cambodian government just released its official list of public holidays for 2016, beating past years’ record by increasing the number of public holidays for 2016 to be 28 days notwithstanding when holidays fall on a weekend (Saturday-Sunday) the following Monday is off as compensation. ...

As negotiations over a new minimum wage for the garment sector continued on Friday, union representatives agreed to temper their demands in exchange for concessions from manufacturers. ...

Three garment workers were arrested in Phnom Penh over the past two days for their alleged roles in the fatal stabbing of their colleague at his home on Monday night, officials said Wednesday.   ...

A disparate group of independent and pro-government trade unions on Tuesday agreed to make $168 their proposal for the garment sector’s new monthly minimum wage in ongoing negotiations with employers, bridging weeks of differences. ...

With the fight over the minimum wage hike for the garment and footwear industry coming to a head, factory owners are already digging in their heels, saying any increase in the $128 a month wage could seriously damage an industry that is facing rising competition ...