Labor
58 Cambodians among slaves rescued in Indonesia
At least 58 Cambodians were among the more than 300 enslaved fishermen recently rescued from a remote island in Indonesia’s Maluku province, an intergovernmental migration body said Tuesday. ...
Alex Consiglio
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/58-cambodians-among-slaves-rescued-in-indonesia-81595/
Vietnam, Cambodia trade unions deepen ties
A delegation from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) met with Cambodia’s trade unions this week to strengthen ties, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. ...
Bernama News Staff
http://bit.ly/1FAtAAi
Illegal migrants rounded up at Talat Thai
Police have arrested more than 500 illegal migrant workers at the huge Talat Thai market in Pathum Thani. Police said the illegal migrants would face legal action before being deported to their home countries. ...
Pongpat Wongyala
http://bit.ly/1NT1B0y
Thais expand health benefits for migrant workers
Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand are now reportedly able to access the same healthcare benefits as Thai nationals following the implementation of new regulations, although rights organisations warned yesterday that problems will persist for Cambodians across the border, the majority of whom remain undocumented. Under new ...
Charles Parkinson
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/thais-expand-health-benefits-migrant-workers
Migrants from four countries eligible for health benefits
Workers from Myanmar, laos, Cambodia and Vietnam now get better coverage. Migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam can now buy healthcare insurance and enjoy healthcare benefits that are on par with what Thais get via the country’s universal healthcare scheme. ...
The Nation News Staff
http://bit.ly/1GXCp9o
Migrants from four countries eligible for health benefits
Workers from Myanmar, laos, Cambodia and Vietnam now get better coverage. Migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam can now buy healthcare insurance and enjoy healthcare benefits that are on par with what Thais get via the country’s universal healthcare scheme. ...
The Nation News Staff
http://bit.ly/1GXCp9o
Labour shortages leave Thailand's growth stuck in the starting gate
A growing labour undersupply has been of the factors behind Thailand’s sub-par economic growth. A nationwide survey of companies in six key sectors by SCB Economic Intelligence Center last year found that at least half had trouble filling vacancies within a three-month search. ...
Bangkok Post News Staff
http://bit.ly/1F3JvK4
In Cambodia, domestic workers get organized
Their ranks are small but growing, and they want their government to join an international labor treaty. “If we organize, we can help each other,” says a 25-year-old housekeeper who started working when she was 10 and earns $75 a month. ...
Kristi Eaton
http://womensenews.org/story/labor/150403/in-cambodia-domestic-workers-get-organized
Bridge's shadow falls on river ferry community
Before the sun casts its light on the Neak Loeung ferry port every morning, commuters begin arriving in buses and cars, on motorbikes and horse-carts. At the crest of the riverbank, chains slung between concrete pillars bring them to a halt. And there, even before their ...
Matt Blomberg and Ouch Sony
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/ferriedaway/
Men enslaved in Indonesia rescued and repatriated
Nineteen Cambodian men were repatriated Sunday morning after being rescued by Indonesian authorities from slavery on Thai fishing boats, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong. ...
Ouch Sony
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/men-enslaved-in-indonesia-rescued-and-repatriated-81447/
Foreigners reminded to get their work permits
The head of the Interior Ministry’s general department of immigration issued a statement on Wednesday reminding foreigners working in Cambodia that they are required to hold a work permit—and will face fines if they do not. ...
Chris Mueller
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/foreigners-reminded-to-get-their-work-permits-81328/
Migrant workers deserve fair conditions abroad, lawmaker says
Cambodian migrant workers working legally or illegally in neighboring Thailand and other countries in the region have remitted more than $1 billion dollars annually, which contributes significantly to the economy, an opposition lawmaker says. But their emigration has affected local farming as well, emptying rural villages, ...
Men Kimseng
http://bit.ly/1apUD73
Two women arrested for trafficking five to China
The Kompong Cham Provincial Court on Wednesday charged two women with human trafficking for allegedly luring five other women to China with promises of jobs, only to force them into marriage. ...
Ben Sokhean
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/two-women-arrested-for-trafficking-five-to-china-81249/
Meeting between Koh Kong families, development firm fruitless
Representatives for some 200 families in a yearslong land dispute with the Union Development Group (UDG) in Koh Kong province met for the first time with both company and government officials Tuesday but left with little to show. ...
Hul Reaksmey
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/meeting-between-koh-kong-families-development-firm-fruitless-81149/
Hun Sen meets with Nancy Pelosi, US delegation
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday met with a visiting delegation of U.S. Congress members, including House of Representatives minority leader Nancy Pelosi, a government spokesman said. ...
Chris Mueller
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/hun-sen-meets-with-nancy-pelosi-us-delegation-81080/
Maid agencies want deal with Cambodia approved
Recruitment agencies are pressing for an MoU on Cambodian domestic maids to be approved, saying it had been stuck at the Malaysian side for several months. They said the Cambodian government was ready to lift the ban imposed in 2011, but lamented that Malaysian authorities were ...
P. Aruna
http://bit.ly/1OXuegx
Thailand toughens human trafficking penalties
Thailand’s National Assembly has passed amendments to anti-trafficking laws with harsh penalties. The legislation comes as American media reports put spotlight on slave-like conditions on Thai fishing vessels triggering calls for Thailand to crack down on labor exploitation, especially in the seafood industry. ...
Ron Corben
http://bit.ly/1ILVavn
Police shut down center promising jobs abroad
Anti-human trafficking police arrested a woman Wednesday after they discovered she was running an unlicensed training center in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district that promised to send students to work in Japan or South Korea after paying for courses, an official said Thursday. ...
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/police-shut-down-center-promising-jobs-abroad-80847/
http://Sek Odom
Fresh allegations of negligence for firm
A worker was seriously injured on Monday at a Phnom Penh construction site owned by the Overseas Cambodia Investment Corporation (OCIC), just four months after a falling pipe killed a passing motorist at another site owned by the politically connected developer, police said. ...
Pech Sotheary
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/fresh-allegations-negligence-firm
Economic growth could slow as workers migrate
Cambodia’s growth largely depends on a labor-intensive economy in agriculture, garment factories, and goods and services. Due to lower wages and poor incentives, there is a large outflow of Cambodian workers to Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and China, and that, in the long run, could cause ...
Ten Soksreinith
http://www.voacambodia.com/content/economic-growth-could-slow-as-workers-migrate/2694075.html
Workers submit petition to gov’t over labor law, severance pay
About 40 workers from Phnom Penh’s Meroson garment factory delivered a petition signed by 700 of their colleagues to a representative of Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday, calling on the premier to intervene in their dispute over what they say is the factory’s failure ...
Cambodia labour abuse claims disputed
UK retailer Marks & Spencer and the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) have disputed the details of a report alleging labour rights abuses are still rife in the country’s garment factories, with both claiming they are committed to providing and supporting safe working conditions. ...
Katie Smith
http://bit.ly/1Ckp3lx
Fake IDs make mockery of factory age rules
On a dusty highway on the edge of this port city, thousands of young women and a few hundred young men block evening traffic as they stream out of the New Star Shoes factory. ...
Jamie Elliott and Mech Dara
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/fake-ids-make-mockery-of-factory-age-rules-80492/
Keeping women out of the work force is economic nonsense
Gender equality is “humanity’s biggest project,” Lakshmi Puri told the U.N. this past week. Puri, the deputy executive director of U.N. Women, wants to achieve “Planet 50-50” by 2030. When it comes to the workplace, equal employment opportunities aren’t just a benefit to women. Several new ...
Thomas K. Grose
http://n.pr/1CfvrKL