Stay-at-home strike a bust as workers return to factories

22 April 2014
The Cambodia Daily
Civil society / Economic policy and administration / Economy and commerce / Garments and textiles / Government / Industries / Investment / Labor / Labor arbitration / Labor policy and administration / Ministries and other national bodies / Social development / Unions
Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions / Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union / Freedom Park / GMAC / Ken Loo / National Trade Union Coalition / Veng Sreng street / Workers Friendship Union Federation / Yaing Sophorn

The vast majority of the country’s 600,000-strong garment factory workforce appeared to be back on the job Monday despite a call from unions to continue a stay-at-home strike until Tuesday. Eight unions had spent weeks urging workers to stay home after the Khmer New Year from April 17 to 22 in hopes of pressuring the government and factories to raise the sector’s monthly minimum wage from $100 to $160. They also want the courts to release 21 unionists and workers arrested during the last round of wage strikes that ended in January. By Monday morning, however, all factories were back up and running and most of their workers were back at their stations. … Ek Pheakdey, secretary-general of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, claimed that only about 30 percent of his union’s 100,000 members were back at work Monday and that only about 60 percent of all garment workers had returned. Three of the other unions behind the strike, however, said that up to 90 percent of the workforce was back Monday. … Still hoping to win their wage hike, the unions behind the stay-at-home strike plan to hold a rally at Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park on May 1—international labor day—and will submit their request to the municipal government in the coming days. …

 Khy Sovuthy
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/stay-at-home-strike-a-bust-as-workers-return-to-factories-56888/