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CAMBODIA: Illegal strikes threaten textile sector

PHNOM PENH: The domestic garment makers have urged the government to regulate the labor unions, saying that illegal strikes and power struggles among more than 1,000 workers' groups threaten the key textile trade. The garment sector remains a key pillar of impoverished Cambodia's economy, employing some 350,000 people and accounting for 80 percent of the country's export earnings.

With an average of four unions per factory, managers spend more than half of their time negotiating often conflicting demands while productivity plummets, said Van Sou Ieng of the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC).

"In short, there are too many unions," he told a meeting between the private sector and government officials. "The factory is becoming a place where unions fight for popularity as they seek to win members, and this is to the detriment ... of the workers," he added.

Illegal strikes sometimes as many as two a day and repercussions against workers who do not walk off the job are also endemic, he said.

"The frequency of these occurrences is becoming alarming, and if left unattended and unresolved, they will destroy Cambodia's reputation for attracting and maintaining investors," he said.

But the industry is increasingly vulnerable to foreign competition, and manufacturers fear labour disruptions could drive future investors away, sinking the sector.

Union officials have accused factory owners of refusing to negotiate disputes, while forced overtime and clashes between Cambodian workers and foreign managers continue to disrupt output.

Nang Sothy, who headed a working group on industrial relations earlier this year said that "Illegal strikes will decrease by 95 percent if the factory owner and union discuss together to make the collective bargaining agreement".

Source: Agencies • News Courtesy: BharatTextile.com