Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Factory walkout to kick off $177 drive

Factory walkout to kick off $177 drive

Garment workers hold placards in front of the Huey Chuen garment factory during a protest
Garment workers hold placards in front of the Huey Chuen garment factory during a protest yesterday in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Factory walkout to kick off $177 drive

More than 1,000 garment workers at a Phnom Penh factory entered their second day of striking yesterday, ahead of today’s start of global and national union campaigns to raise the minimum wage in Cambodia’s garment sector.

Workers at the Huey Chuen garment factory in Meanchey district began striking Monday, in opposition to the suspension of employee Heng Siheoun.

Huey Chuen’s administrative manager said Siheoun had come to work drunk and tried to force workers to protest, but Siheoun denies wrongdoing.

The industrial action seemed like a warm-up for today’s planned walkout at about 300 garment factories nationwide, in which 18 different unions plan to take part.

The protests mark the beginning of a campaign for garment workers’ minimum wage to be raised to $177 next year.

“Our campaign for demanding [a hike in the] minimum wage will start tomorrow, but the workers in Huey Chuen factory started today,” Fa Saly, president of the National Trade Union Confederation, said.

Unions are demanding $177 – the high end of what a Ministry of Social Affairs subcommittee found to be a living wage last year – but leaders have admitted they would accept a monthly wage as low as $150.

Strikers at Huey Chuen yesterday wore T-shirts and stickers with “$177” encircled by the logos of eight international brands that source from Cambodia.

“It’s time for the brands to take notice . . . they have to act on their commitments,” said Joel Preston, a consultant for the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC). “We just see over and over again repackaged sustainability programs, repackaged pilot programs involving minimum wage.”

CLEC yesterday released a statement signed by one local and two international unions, saying “actions” were planned at the retail outlets and offices of foreign brands that source from Cambodia in more than 40 major cities across the globe today.

Jeff Hermanson, director of global strategies at US-based Workers United, SEIU, said that more than 1,000 people in the US and Canada would demonstrate in front of stores, including H&M and Gap.

MOST VIEWED

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Five-year-old Hanuman dances his way into hearts of Cambodia

    A young talent from a new-established settlement has emerged, captivating the online world with his mesmerising performances of the traditional Cambodian monkey dance. Roeun Kakada is a five-year-old prodigy who has taken the social media sphere by storm with his exceptional dance skills and dedication

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • Honda shutters Siem Reap football club

    Japanese football legend Keisuke Honda, the owner of Siem Reap football club Soltilo Angkor FC, has been forced to shut the club down, after it failed to attract sponsorship for the upcoming season. Honda, the former manager of the Cambodia men's national football team, said

  • Hun Sen warns of regional tensions

    ASIA is becoming a dangerous geopolitical hotspot, with several countries announcing that they intend to send naval vessels towards Southeast Asia and on to the South China Sea, warned Prime Minister Hun Sen. “Heated geopolitical issues can easily escalate, namely to war. I am not

  • PM declares ASEAN Para Games open

    The 12th ASEAN Para Games officially kicked off on the evening of June 3 at Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, with a spectacular opening ceremony featuring fireworks and performances by some of the Kingdom’s most accomplished talents. Tens of thousands of sports fans