News
International buyers concerned over labour and human rights situation
A group of international businesses in the garment industry have expressed concern over the labour and human rights situation in the country. On Thursday, the group – which includes Nike, Adidas, and Levi Strauss – sent a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen pleading with ...
Chhut Bunthoeun
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50600703/international-buyers-concerned-over-labour-and-human-rights-situation/
US brands object to draft wage, dispute settlement laws
A group representing some of the largest apparel brands in the U.S., including Gap and Levi Strauss, are urging Prime Minister Hun Sen to reconsider controversial provisions in a pair of draft laws on wages and labor disputes. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/us-brands-object-draft-wage-dispute-settlement-laws-131484/
Garment industry facing subcontracting threat: ILO
Cambodia’s garment factories appear to be ramping up their use of subcontractors, which tend to get the least attention from regulators and raise the most fears of abuse among labor rights groups, according to a report released on Monday. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/garment-industry-facing-subcontracting-threat-ilo-2-130670/
Near-zero unemployment in Cambodia, claims Labor Minister
The Labor Ministry proclaimed yesterday that unemployment was nearly eradicated in Cambodia after a recent study showed that less than one percent of citizens remained without jobs. ...
Mom Kunthear
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/37336/near-zero-unemployment-in-cambodia--claims-labor-minister/
Pension scheme set for launch
A pension scheme for people working in the private sector will be launched later this year, according to an official from the National Social Security Fund. ...
Ven Rathavong
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/36750/pension-scheme-set-for-launch/
ILO warns of Brexit threat to garments
Cambodia’s critical garment export sector could face major risks in both the short and long term from the U.K.’s surprise vote last year to exit the E.U., the International Labor Organization (ILO) has warned. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/ilo-warns-of-brexit-threatto-garments-123535/
Accounting and finance top job listings
Cambodia’s accounting and finance industries have seen the healthiest growth over the past three months, followed by jobs in sales, hospitality, management and marketing, according to the latest report by jobs website Everjob. More than 2,500 positions in the accounting and finance sectors were listed on ...
Sum Manet
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/30601/accounting-and-finance-top-job-listings/
Gold Green for Knai Bang Chatt
Kep province’s Knai Bang Chatt hotel is the first in Cambodia to receive the gold certification in the international Green Growth 2050 initiative after it was accredited by industry experts. In August, an Australian team of experts conducted an independent audit and found that the hotel ...
May Kunmakara
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/29916/gold-green-for-knai-bang-chatt/
Labor Leaders Speak Out Against Union Law
Labor leaders in Cambodia have expressed concerns over pressures placed on their freedom to organize and mobilize garment workers following the implementation of a contentious law governing unions earlier this year. ...
Neou Vannarin
http://www.voacambodia.com/a/labor-leaders-speak-out-against-union-law/3403414.html
Garment, footwear exports on the rise
The total value of exports from the Kingdom’s garment and footwear industry increased sharply this first quarter by 39.1 percent to some $2 billion compared to about $1.5 billion in the same period last year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce. ...
Sok Chan
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/26220/garment--footwear-exports-on-the-rise/
Gov’t claims strikes upending industry
A senior official at the Labor Ministry said strikes and protests were “disrupting” investment in the garment sector and claimed that some unions, and even some employers, were not respecting the rights and freedoms afforded to workers by the Labor Law and international labor conventions. ...
Mom Kunthear
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/25622/gov---t-claims-strikes-upending-industry/
Legal passage to Malaysia for maids still some months away
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. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/legal-passage-to-malaysia-for-maids-still-some-months-away-102896/
Latest draft of union law leans in unions’ favor
Trade unions appear to have prevailed over employers in their yearslong tug-of-war over a controversial draft Trade Union Law that reached the National Assembly last week. ...
Mech Dara
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/latest-draft-of-union-law-leans-in-unions-favor-101199/
Campaign calls to stop sexual harassment in the workplace
A campaign to stop sexual harassment at the workplace will be at the center of efforts to curb violence against women over the next year, NGO representatives said at a meeting with government officials Sunday. ...
Meghan Tribe
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/campaign-calls-to-stop-sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace-98235/
Cambodia initiates first-ever employment policy
The International Labor Organization says a new National Employment Policy will improve the country’s economy for the young generation.The policy, drafted with the help of Sweden, aims to increase “decent and productive” employment opportunities, enhance skills and human resources development, and strengthen labor market governance, ...
Sok Khemara
http://www.voacambodia.com/content/cambodia-initiates-first-ever-employment-policy/3020097.html
ILO says latest draft law on Trade Union an improvement
The regional director of the International Labor Organization (ILO) said Tuesday that the latest proposed changes to Cambodia’s draft Trade Union Law—which has been blasted by employers and unions alike—marked an improvement over the last version, which the ILO had called a “step backward.” ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ilo-says-latest-draft-law-on-trade-union-an-improvement-93690/
Factory wages remain a potential flashpoint for workers
Sok Ren lives in a tiny room in a rented house in Phnom Penh. She has not been home in two years, having decided to leave a child behind and find work in the city’s garment sector. Unions say workers need at least $177 ...
ILO hopes to inform wage talks with new quarterly bulletin
In the inaugural issue of its bulletin on Cambodia’s $5.8-billion garment industry, the International Labor Organization said Thursday that business remained strong on the back of rising exports despite a 28-percent hike to the sector’s minimum wage in January. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ilo-hopes-to-inform-wage-talks-with-new-quarterly-bulletin-88706/
Working conditions in Cambodia's garment factories slightly improved: group
The International Labor Organization (ILO) has found a slight improvement in Cambodia’s garment factory working conditions, although issues of overtime and occupational safety and health continue, according to its latest report released on Wednesday. ...
Shanghai Daily News Staff
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=291468
UN agencies welcome probe into slaying of unionists
The government’s announcement of a new commission to investigate the decade-old murders of members of the Free Trade Union has been welcomed by some and greeted with skepticism by others. On Saturday two UN agencies – the International Labor Organization and the Office of the High ...
Tin Sokhavuth
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/12692/un-agencies-welcome-probe-into-slaying-of-unionists/
Cambodia struggling to curb child labor
On the southern outskirts of Cambodia’s capital, a ramshackle factory turns out tens of thousands of bricks each month. Pale rows of freshly fired bricks wait for buyers under the corrugated iron roof, while a 50-meter-long oven leaks a dull heat as it bakes a ...
Robert Carmichael
http://www.voanews.com/content/cambodia-struggling-to-curb-child-labor/2833593.html
Keeping women out of the work force is economic nonsense
Gender equality is “humanity’s biggest project,” Lakshmi Puri told the U.N. this past week. Puri, the deputy executive director of U.N. Women, wants to achieve “Planet 50-50” by 2030. When it comes to the workplace, equal employment opportunities aren’t just a benefit to women. Several new ...
Thomas K. Grose
http://n.pr/1CfvrKL
Cambodia rebukes "labor abuse" report
Cambodia has rejected a U.S.- based Human Rights Watch’s “labor abuse” report, saying the report is groundless, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Labor late on Friday. ...
The Cambodia Herald News Staff
http://thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/cambodia-rebukes-%22labor-abuse%22-report-8301
Cambodia sets minimum wage below union demands
Cambodia on Wednesday increased the monthly minimum wage for garment workers by 28% to $128, falling short of union workers’ demands and creating the potential for further strikes in the country. Ath Thun, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union, said the ...
James Hookway and Sun Narin
http://online.wsj.com/articles/cambodia-sets-minimum-wage-below-union-demands-1415789944