Formal labor

A secret ballot on 23 September failed to resolve Cambodian garment union splits over what to demand at upcoming minimum wage talks, with at least one independent union rejecting the majority vote of $158 and vowing to put forward $178. The division came a day after Labour ...

The widespread use of short-term contracts in Cambodia’s garment industry has come under fire in a new report, which looks at ongoing issues with the practice at H&M supplier factories amid pledges of reform. A Short-Term Solution, which was released by Swedish NGO Fair Action, uses ...

Ministry of Labour spokesman Heng Sour on 22 September threatened legal action against those confusing the concepts of “minimum” and “living” wages, as he outlined the method and schedule for upcoming minimum wage talks for the garment sector. In an apparent swipe at recent research showing garment ...

A group of independent unions say they will push for a new monthly minimum wage of $207 for garment workers when three-way negotiations with the government and factories begin in earnest next week. Keep reading ...

More than 1000 factory workers have lost their job in the wake of the new minimum wage, according to the Ministry of Labour. Just one factory has so far closed however. U Maung Maung Hlaing, head of the Labour Laws Inspection Department in Hlaing Tharyar township, said ...

In a strongly worded defence of the proposed trade union law, employer association CAMFEBA released a position paper on 2 September claiming the law would curb instances of illegal strikes and a proliferation of minority unions, which it says is needed to harmonise the country’s troubled ...

The Ministry of Labour announced on 1 September that all employees must be under an official contract. The announcement was made on the same day the country’s first minimum wage went into effect, a landmark many workers expected would result in massive layoffs as factories attempted ...

In what it deemed an “inspiring trend” for Cambodia’s labour relations, the Arbitration Council reported that the number of cases it registered involving strike action – as well as the total number of cases themselves – declined in the first half of this year. Keep reading ...

Aiming to one day become a major manufacturing base in Cambodia, Sihanoukville faces an uphill battle in attracting workers, provincial officials have said. Yow Khemara, director of the Department of Labour and Vocational Training at Preah Sihanouk province, said Sihanoukville currently lacks about 4,000 workers in ...

Labour officials will hold a final meeting with employers and worker representatives in Nay Pyi Taw on 18 August to finalise the minimum wage, with some participants suggesting there will be no change from the K3600 proposed in June. The ministry hopes to reach an agreement on ...