Turmoil marks year in labour
When unions and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) signed a memorandum of understanding in October last year, both sides were confident strikes in the Kingdom’s biggest export sector could be kept to a minimum. … Not counting December, GMAC has recorded 131 strikes this year, the most since it began collecting data in 2003, and up from 34 in 2011, when a previous MoU was in place. During strikes this year, a bystander has been shot dead by police, two women have miscarried after clashes with authorities, unionists have been jailed for months and factories have lost millions of dollars. … Unions estimated that more than 10,000 garment workers (out of an industry of more than 400,000) went on strike in the first three weeks of the year. … Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union, said the majority of strikes this year occurred due to low wages. …
Shane Worrell
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/turmoil-marks-year-labour
