Government’s Trade Union Law may limit freedom of association
A draft trade union law that the government has pledged to introduce by the end of the year includes provisions that will allow for unions to be suspended if their activities are deemed illegal, the head of Cambodia’s largest employers association said Wednesday. Van Sou Ieng, president of the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Association (Camfeba), said that the long-awaited trade union law, drafts of which have not been released for public scrutiny, will allow for punitive actions against workers’ associations that do not heed orders from the Ministry of Labor. ... Mr. Sou Ieng, who is also chairman of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC), said the decision to suspend unions would be made either by the courts or the Labor Ministry. ... In its policy recommendations put forward in a report released on Tuesday, Camfeba requested that the new trade union law “ensure that provisions are included for dismantling and revoking union registrations that…do not abide by the law.” Despite its forthcoming ability to disband unions at will, Minister of Labor Ith Sam Heng said that the new trade union law will still comply with the ILO’s Convention 87 on the freedom of association, ratified by Cambodia in 1999, which prevents public officials from interfering in the universal right to organize unions. ... The National Assembly, currently composed of only 68 lawmakers from the ruling CPP, is able to pass new laws. However, with less than a two-thirds majority in the 123-seat parliament, cannot legally change the Constitution, which guarantees all citizens the freedom of association. ...
Hul Reaksmey and Colin Meyn
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/governments-trade-union-law-may-limit-freedom-of-association-54042/
