Minister defends draft union law

Cambodia’s Labour Minister Ith Samheng made a lengthy defence of the draft trade union law on 30 December, claiming it would stabilise the Kingdom’s troubled labour relations, even as he pledged to find the “mastermind” behind recent protests in the Svay Rieng town of Bavet.

Speaking during a pro-government union group’s annual congress, Samheng said the law would crack down on illegal strikes, and defended a controversial clause making unions report their finances to authorities as a “transparency” measure.

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