Around 200 delegates from IndustriALL Global Unions are gathering in Phnom Penh today and tomorrow for Executive Committee meetings. The garment industry employs 600,000 workers in Cambodia and as part of its global action towards living wages in the sector, IndustriALL is working with its eight Cambodian affiliates to push for higher wages.

According to IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina, the latest increase to the minimum wage does not meet workers’ expectations for a wage sufficient to support themselves and their families. The current demands by unions in Cambodia reflect the workers’ frustration with the brands, as well as the lack of response from government and employers to the unions’ 13 demands. Workers are saying that brands sourcing from the country must guarantee a living wage.

This is why it has become urgent for IndustriALL to continue to work with the brands sourcing from Cambodia towards industry level collective bargaining in order to improve wage conditions. The garment brands that source from Cambodian factories must take their share of responsibility for ensuring that garment workers earn a living wage.

H.E. Sat Samoth, Under-Secretary of State from the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training will speak at the opening of the Executive Committee. To highlight the complex situation in the region, IndustriALL is hosting a panel debate on living wage action, collective bargaining and organizing in Cambodia and other Asian countries. Panelists include Cambodian government representative Heng Sour, Swedish retail giant H&M, GMAC general secretary Ken Loo and trade union representatives from Cambodia, Myanmar and Indonesia.

www.industryall-union.org