No Government Meetings for International Trade Unions
International buyers and trade union representatives have been unable to meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen or other government officials, despite a request following deadly worker demonstration crackdowns last month.
Major international buyers signed on to a joint letter condemning the violence and urging the government to allow workers to protest for a raise in minimum wage and other issues. They had also requested meetings for the first week in February. …Oum Mean, secretary of state for the Ministry of Labor, said there are no meetings scheduled between international representatives and government officials. …
Meanwhile, international buyers say they want improved conditions for workers, who should also be allowed to assembly and collectively bargain.
Lemperle said an “action day” is scheduled for Feb. 10, where worker representatives will go to embassies across Phnom Penh. They will ask for a return to negotiations by the government, workers and factories, a reinstatement of dismissed workers and the release of 23 detainees currently in jail.
Kong Sothanarith
http://www.voacambodia.com/content/no-government-meetings-for-international-trade-unions/1844164.html
