Labor policy and administration

The Labour Ministry has created guidelines for owners in the garment and footwear industry to prevent factory workers from fainting. Labor Minister Ith Samheng issued an announcement yesterday containing 11 guidelines in an effort to reduce the stimuli causing workers to faint. ...

The Health Minister has ordered civil servants to prioritise the implementation of new social security services for public officials, former government workers and veterans, which came into force at the start of this year. ...

A slew of new health and maternity benefits for workers took effect at the stroke of midnight yesterday in a dramatic expansion of the country’s social security framework, even as labour advocates and business experts raised concerns about cost and quality. ...

Labour officials sent off 14 maids to Hong Kong yesterday in celebration of a pilot program that hopes to funnel up to 1,000 maids to the Asian financial hub despite concerns from rights groups. ...

Roughly 100 garment workers protested again in front of Pou Yuen Enterprise Ltd yesterday amid allegations that the shoe factory hired Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) soldiers to act as security guards for the company. ...

New Thai regulations imposing stiff punishments on undocumented migrants, their brokers and their employers set to come into force on January 1 will likely be delayed by three to six months, according to Cambodian Minister of Labour Ith Sam Heng. ...

The Labour Ministry announced on Friday that the Thai government agreed to extend the deadline for Cambodian officials to complete registration and work permit delivery to Cambodian migrant workers by six months. ...

Garment workers resumed their strike against the Gawon Apparel Cambodia Co today, demanding bosses sell factory equipment to pay their salaries, though a factory official claimed the company will suspend workers to settle payroll shortages. ...

A Labour Ministry official has said the law on the minimum wage will come into force in the first quarter of 2018, provided there are no more objections from stakeholders. ...

The Minister of Labour yesterday warned factory owners around the country that they would face legal action if large groups of workers faint during working hours within their enterprises. ...

More than 100 workers at the JD Toyoma garment factory in Takeo province’s Bati district fainted yesterday morning while working. Police suspected the cause of the fainting was chemical fumes in the factory, but the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia said the fumes did not ...

The private sector is concerned that the newly proposed universal minimum wage law, which is reportedly being drafted by the government and comes on the heels of numerous new labour regulations, has created a climate of uncertainty, according to an industry expert. ...

The government is negotiating with other countries to ensure the safety of migrant workers and that they receive worker benefits while toiling abroad, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has allocated about $40 million per year from next year after the garment and footwear industry workers’ minimum wage increased to $170 per month. ...

Workers from the Pou Yuen Cambodia garment factory in Sen Sok district yesterday protested outside the premises after the management decided to offer them only three-month contract extensions. ...

The future of the government’s Labour Advisory Committee is hanging in the balance as the country’s first draft law on the national minimum wage is set to come into force by the end of the year.   ...

The government yesterday significantly upped the garment and footwear sector’s minimum wage to $170 a month, from $153, the highest increase in wages in the past two years and one that comes ahead of a crucial national election next July. ...

The industry body representing Cambodia’s garment sector issued a statement yesterday urging the government to help manufacturers reduce the cost of doing business in order to offset a higher minimum wage and workers benefit package due to come into effect on January 1. ...

Employers, unions and government officials have settled on three figures to propose as the new minimum wage for garment, textile and footwear workers in a final day of negotiations on the issue. ...

Union negotiators on the minimum wage for garment, textile and footwear workers have lowered their claim from $176.26 per month to $175 while the employers have increased their offer from $161 to $161.50. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has told garment workers not to demand an excessive increase in the minimum wage, otherwise factories could move to more affordable countries. ...

Employers must allow all Muslim women to wear headscarves and traditional clothing to work, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday. Addressing workers in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district, Mr Hun Sen said he met Muslim women on a recent visit to Kampong Cham, who told him they ...

The Labour Ministry and the Health Ministry have vowed to work together to bring free, efficient healthcare to workers in both the informal and formal sectors. ...

The Ministry of Labour’s spokesman yesterday said that free medical treatment for garment workers, announced by Prime Minister Hun Sen last week, will start on January 1. ...