CNRP looks for quieter plan of action as labor strike looms
When a group of six unions organized nationwide strikes in December demanding a $160 minimum wage, the opposition CNRP aggressively took up the cause. Opposition leaders rallied support outside factory gates around the country and tens of thousands of garment workers flooded into Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park, where CNRP president Sam Rainsy told them not to accept a dollar less than $160 a month. More than two months after the government violently suppressed demonstrations by garment workers and supporters of the CNRP, labor unions are planning a second round of strikes, set to begin next week, in which workers will be asked to stay at home. But this time, the CNRP is taking a much more passive approach to its support for workers. Mr. Rainsy said that CNRP leaders have not discussed what role the party will play in the upcoming strikes, set to begin on March 12, which are being organized by 16 labor unions and associations. … Yaing Sophorn, president of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, said that she welcomed the support of either political party in addressing the demands of workers, which include higher wages, an end to legal action against union leaders, and the prosecution of security forces responsible for the shooting deaths of garment workers in January. … “We also want CPP to come and support us,” she [ Yaing Sophorn] added. “The CPP is confused that workers are doing this for the sake of politics.”
Colin Meyn and Phorn Bopha
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/cnrp-looks-for-quieter-plan-of-action-as-labor-strike-looms-53527/
