Union reps fired after strike
Despite Cambodia’s labour law forbidding employers from taking action against workers for engaging in union activity, more than 100 labour union representatives have been fired from at least 12 factories this month for encouraging workers to strike for a $160 monthly minimum wage. The firings came shortly after the mass strike over wages waned in the wake of authorities shooting dead at least four people on January 3 and a subsequent government ban on public demonstrations. … Cambodian Alliance Trade Unions (CATU) president Yang Sophorn yesterday said 50 CATU union representatives have been fired from the Manhattan Textile and Garment factory in Kampong Cham since early January. … The majority of union leaders fired in the wake of the large-scale strike are members of CATU and the Collective Union of Movement of Workers (CUMW), said Moeun Tola, head of CLEC’s labour program. Reasons for firing them were largely for encouraging workers to participate in the strike, an action protected under Cambodia’s labour law, he added. …
Sean Teehan and Mom Kunthear
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/union-reps-fired-after-strike
