Statement on Cambodia, 13 January, 2014
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the ITUC Asia-Pacific and IndustriALL-SE Asia Office (the global
union federation branch representing garment workers in this region) have today completed an urgent four-day mission to
Cambodia to respond to the workers’ rights crisis in the country. As with workers, governments and employers from around
the world, we were horrified by the serious human rights violations that were committed here in recent weeks, including
the use of deadly force by security forces to quell the protests in the industrial zones.
During our visit, we met with our affiliated unions, representatives of the government and the garment manufacturers and
other important organizations. Our purpose was simple - to attempt to build a consensus among the social partners on a
way forward based on respect for fundamental workers’ right, social justice and rule of law. In our view, we cannot
expect the re-establishment of industrial peace in Cambodia unless certain matters are resolved in the immediate term.
These include:
The 23 prisoners who were arrested in the context of the recent demonstrations in the garment sector must be released
immediately and charges dropped. As many were beaten, some severely, by the security forces, all necessary medical
attention must be provided.
As called for by the UN, a credible, independent inquiry must be established immediately to investigate the killing of
garment workers on 3 January. The use of lethal force against the demonstrating workers was manifestly excessive and
must be condemned. Those responsible for the killings must be held accountable.
Trade union leaders and activists who were dismissed or suspended for participating in legitimate trade union activity,
including the strikes and demonstrations intended to seek an increase to the extremely low minimum wage rate, must be
reinstated. In the case that short-term contracts of union activists were not renewed on a discriminatory basis, those
workers must be re-employed.
The newly established wage commission is welcome but it must come forth with a new proposal for a minimum wage that
meets the needs of garment workers and their families. Such a process should take no longer than 60 days, at which time
the government must set the new wage rate. Indeed, a recent informal survey by IndustriALL of garment workers as to the
wage necessary to cover basic expenses for the workers and her family would be around US$265 per month. The garment
sector in Cambodia is a highly-profitable industry, earning $5.1 billion annually. Manufacturers, and in turn
international brands, can certainly afford to pay substantially more than the $100 a month currently on offer. The
economic development benefits to Cambodia as a whole from the payment of a liveable wage would also be immediate.
Finally, the right to freedom of association of all parties must be respected. We are particularly concerned by the
government’s threats to deregister trade unions simply because they went on strike for an increase in the minimum wage
proposal – activity that is clearly protected by international instruments that Cambodia has ratified – including ILO
Convention 87. We also strongly caution employers and their associations against attempts to bankrupt unions by lawsuits
for compensation or damages. Both moves would only further inflame tensions and make any hope of rebuilding industrial
peace nearly impossible. Moreover, we simply do not believe that independent trade unions were responsible for the
violence and property destruction that was carried out by provocateurs who took advantage of the situation.
Unfortunately, our sincere efforts to build bridges with the garment manufacturers association were met with outright
hostility and with a complete disregard to the sustainability of the industrial relations. Indeed, GMAC embraced the
prospect of creating further conflict in the industry. We hope that the hard rhetoric was just that, and that there may
still be a way forward, but we cannot but express our deep disappointment with their attitude. We appreciated the
opportunity to meet with the Minister of Labour today. We conveyed to him our serious concerns and urged the government
to take immediate action on each of the items previously mentioned. We explained that it was in fact in the government’s
own best interests to ensure respect for workers’ rights and the payment of a liveable wage, which are the foundation to
any sustainable industry. We made it clear that we will continue to monitor the situation closely, including future
visits, and will continue to maintain our vigilance until each of these critical issues is fully resolved.
ENDS