A nationwide strike is due to hit Cambodia’s garment industry this week, involving 75,000 workers who are demanding increased wages.
Two of Cambodia’s major garment unions, CCAWDU and NIFTUC, are demanding a minimum wage of US$93, from $61 currently, according to UK campaign group Labour Behind the Label.
Labour Behind the Label reported that requests for public meetings and demonstrations have been refused by authorities up until now and that campaigners had expressed growing fear for the safety of the 75,000 workers involved.
Ath Thorn of CCAWDU told Labour Behind the Label: “The right to strike and collective bargaining is well established in Cambodian law as well as in international human rights law. We call upon the government, employers and international brands to respect these rights and pay Cambodian workers a living wage.”
