Garment industry stokes Cambodia’s political growth
Under dazzling white strip-lights, a production line of young Cambodians stitch, iron and fold their way to the day’s target of 820 two-piece children’s pajamas. These garments are destined for the shelves of Los Angeles, shop price $9.97. The workers, mostly women, start at 7:30 a.m. and could knock off at 4 p.m., but almost all stay for two hours’ overtime. There are about 1,300 workers at the Gawon Apparel factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, and they can produce as many as 20,000 items of clothing a day, or 7.3 million a year... Other employers come to Phnom Penh for more worldly reasons: the low wages and no-quota access into the European and American markets. Cambodia has become the country of the moment for low-cost assembly work in the region, undercutting not only China but also Indonesia, Vietnam and others.... Lately, however, the rules of the game have been changing, as economically empowered citizens have begun to push for more social and political rights. This year many garment factories have been hit by strikes and protests about working conditions and pay...
