News
Thousands fall for Korean work scam
Alleged ringleaders of an overseas employment scam the Ministry of Labour says bilked thousands of clients out of money were charged with fraud in Phnom Penh on Friday. Oun Sarath, 30, and Kim Sophat, 29, the director and marketing manager, respectively, of recruiting firm You Can ...
Sen David
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/thousands-fall-korean-work-scam
Another construction worker killed
An 18-year-old man became the third construction worker in three days to be killed on the job after part of a building collapsed on him and three co-workers – including two 15-year-olds – on Monday, police said. Yu Bunrong, from Kampong Cham province’s Koh Sotin district, ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/another-construction-worker-killed
Labour negotiations begin at SL Garment factoy
A meeting between factory management and representatives of more than 5,000 striking workers at one of Asia’s largest garment-processing factories yielded no progress. Ken Loo, secretary-general of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, has called the strike illegal because workers failed to notify the company ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/labour-negotiations-begin-sl-garment-factoy
Court draws more into Sabrina case
Eight people allegedly involved in a worker demonstration that devolved into a violent clash with authorities at a Kampong Speu-based Nike supplier have been summonsed to court. Another eight arrested at the scene already await trial. The clash resulted in significant property damage and left ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/court-draws-more-sabrina-case
Cambodia near top of list for expat workers
Cambodia is one of the most attractive countries for expatriates working for US companies in ASEAN, according to a survey of 475 US business executives from throughout the region. Of those surveyed in Cambodia, 65 per cent reported that employees in other locations requested to relocate ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/cambodia-near-top-list-expat-workers
Garment Sector Stable Despite Workers Leaving Jobs
The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) yesterday said a recent exodus of workers from factories in Phnom Penh to the provinces over concerns related to a recent military build up in the capital would not threaten stability in the sector. Ken Loo, secretary-general of GMAC, ...
Kiln owner accused of abusing employee
An employer who stands accused of beating her maid using a stick and the back of a meat cleaver will be summonsed by police in Kandal today for questioning, local officials have said. Son Leanghou, 57, a brick kiln owner, is accused of beating 28-year-old Sok ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/kiln-owner-accused-abusing-employee
Strike grows as another factory walks
About 1,000 workers at one of Asia’s largest garment-processing factories have joined more than 4,000 who began a strike last week, as union workers demanded the company meet nine conditions, including severing ties with a shareholder. Employees at the SL2 factory of SL Garment Processing (Cambodia) ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/strike-grows-another-factory-walks
Funeral payout just ‘sympathy’
The company that paid the funeral costs of two construction workers killed when a fence collapsed on them on Saturday distanced itself yesterday from the accident, saying it doesn’t own the building site. The claim came as Meanchey District Governor Kouch Chamroeun vowed to take action ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/funeral-payout-just-%E2%80%98sympathy%E2%80%99
Speaking in tongues: Young Cambodians learning foreign languages to improve economic opportunities
In the globalised world, being able to communicate in more than one language is becoming essential for many people seeking rewarding careers. Young Cambodians have taken this message to heart and are learning Cambodia is slowly moving up the development ladder but low-wage factory labour still ...
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/365365/speaking-in-tongues
Wall collapse kills two construction workers
Two construction workers were crushed to death on Saturday in Phnom Penh when a concrete wall collapsed on them as they were digging a building’s foundation. Boeung Tompun commune police identified the victims as Touch Chorm, 17, from Kandal province’s Ponhea Leu district, and, Yung Yangthor, ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/wall-collapse-kills-two-construction-workers
Fearing Unrest, Garment Workers Abandon Jobs
Phnom Penh’s garment factories are operating at a greatly reduced capacity as workers return home to the provinces in droves in response to the government’s decision to increase security after the opposition warned they plan to hold mass demonstrations against the election results. Ken Loo, secretary-general ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/elections/fearing-unrest-garment-workers-abandon-jobs-39842/
Two Months After Sentencing, Chhouk Bundith Still at Large
Former Bavet City governor Chhouk Bundith, who was convicted in June of shooting into a crowd of protesters and injuring three garment workers, is still at large avoiding an 18-month prison sentence, the national police spokesman said yesterday. “We have ordered all of our authorities to ...
Workers claim intimidation
About 4,000 employees at one of Asia’s largest garment-processing factories have stopped work, as union workers demand the company sever ties with a shareholder who ordered a military police presence there. Workers at SL Garment Processing (Cambodia) Ltd began demonstrating on Monday, about two weeks after ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/workers-claim-intimidation
Striking Power Plant Trainees Get Wage Raise
More than 170 trainees at a Chinese-backed power plant under construction in Preah Sihanouk province ended a five-day protest on Monday after securing higher wages from their employer, according to a union representative and provincial official. Khmer Workers Power Federation Union president Chey Sovann, who negotiated ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/striking-power-plant-trainees-get-wage-raise-39520/
Worker applications eased
Candidates for a government program that sends Cambodians to work in South Korea can file paperwork closer to home this year, as applications will now be distributed in 13 provinces. Applications will be available until Friday in provincial labour offices in Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/worker-applications-eased
Cambodia dispacthes 11,940 laborers abroad in first 6 months
Cambodia has sent about 11,940 laborers overseas in the first six months of this year, down 29 percent from 16,900 it sent over the same period last year, the figures of the Ministry of Labor showed Tuesday. In January to June period this year, the country ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-08/13/c_132627422.htm
Factory production sluggish
In the wake of last month’s election, production levels at Cambodian garment factories are still below the norm as lingering fears of political unrest keep workers at home and away from the capital. Shrugged off at the outset as a natural byproduct of the election that ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/factory-production-sluggish
After Deadly Factory Collapse, Safety Improvements Scarce
On May 16, immediately after the ceiling of a shoe factory collapsed in Kompong Speu province, leaving two people dead, promises were made to prosecute those responsible for the tragedy and to conduct a nationwide inspection of all factories. “We will have a committee investigate clearly ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/after-deadly-factory-collapse-safety-improvements-scarce-39041/
Fearful workers urged to stay
Key players in all quarters of the garment industry have expressed concerns that workers, fearing a violent election-related conflict, may leave work and return to their home provinces after their next pay cheque. In a statement, the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union (C.CAWDU) joined ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/fearful-workers-urged-stay
Civil servant salaries to increase next month
The Cambodian government announced that it would increase the salaries of low-ranking civil servants to 320,000 Riel per month. The statement was issued by Prime Minister Hun Sen Tuesday. He said, 90,000 civil servants will benefit from the increase which will start in September. Recently the Ministry of ...
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=13&token=NmFmZGMzN2U3M2M
Angry factory workers block National Road 6
About 4,000 angry workers crowded National Road 6 for about 10 minutes yesterday morning The striking employees of the Chinese-owned Juhui Footwear Co, Ltd, who walked out on Friday, took to the street and blocked traffic after officials from the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/angry-factory-workers-block-national-road-6
Workers asked to stay calm amid protest rumors
Cambodia’s Social Affairs Minister urged factory workers, employers and the public not to be concerned regarding the rumors of disorder and planned protests after the country’s recent parliamentary election. He appealed to all factories and enterprises within the country to proceed as normal. “The Cambodian government ...
Cambodia's garment industry at crossroads
Nun Vanak is an excellent example of how Cambodia’s garment manufacturing industry has helped to change lives of hundreds of thousands of people in this country. The 23-year-old is part of Cambodia’s half-a-million-strong workforce – mostly young women – that keeps these garment factories running. Her income ...