Maid agreement looms

20 November 2014
The Phnom Penh Post
Government / Human rights / Informal migration for labor / International relations / Labor / Labor policy and administration / Local workers abroad / Ministries and other national bodies / Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training / Offshore recruitment and employment / Safety and health at work / Social development
Cambodian Migrant Workers’ Solidarity Network (CMWSN) / Choub Narat / Heng Sour / labor department / Malaysian aid / Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training

Under an agreement with Malaysia, Cambodian migrant workers will be allowed to hold on to their passports and copies of their contracts but will be banned from any “political activities”, according to a draft version of the document obtained by the Post. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) is one of a pair of long-awaited labour agreements with Malaysia, the details of which the government has sought to keep under wraps ahead of their hoped-for signing at the end of the year. … According to Malaysian government data, there are currently 13,245 Cambodian workers in Malaysia, with more than half (7,796) working as maids. The agreement covering general workers includes several protections for Cambodians, including an eight-hour working day, paid overtime and at least one day off per week. … A working group of Cambodian and Malaysian officials will monitor the agreement and a task force will oversee its implementation, according to the draft. It adds that both Cambodia and Malaysia should observe the “confidentiality and secrecy of documents, information and other data received or supplied to the Party” while the MoU is in force. …

 Alice Cuddy
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/maid-agreement-looms