Anniversary marked by inaction

Six months after two of her co-workers were crushed to death when a storage level collapsed at the Wing Star Shoes factory in Kampong Speu, employee Yu Manith is noticing the cracks in a factory wall beginning to expand. … Shortly after police rummaged through the debris for survivors, authorities vowed to introduce widespread safety reforms to clean up Cambodia’s biggest export industry. Six months on, those promises are yet to be fulfilled and many of Cambodia’s factories remain unsafe, labour-rights groups and unions say. “The government is not developing any new systems,” said Kong Athit, secretary general of the independent Cambodian Labour Confederation. “[Companies are] using old and unsafe buildings. The government has no control over it because they have no records of it.” Dave Welsh, country manager of labour-rights group Solidarity Center/ACILS, said it is only “through fortune” that similar workplace accidents to the Wing Star collapse have not occurred since. … The second part of Sam Heng’s promise in May – to hold those responsible for the collapse to account – had come to nothing, Welsh added. … Welsh, from ACILS, said Sam Heng’s recent switch from his role as minister of Social Affairs to minister of Labour meant he was now in a better position to implement the changes he had promised. …

 Shane Worrell and Mom Kunthear
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/anniversary-marked-inaction