Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Kingdom ranked low in labour rights index

Kingdom ranked low in labour rights index

Authorities stand behind a barricade at Freedom Park during International Labour Day
Authorities stand behind a barricade at Freedom Park during International Labour Day last year after unions and activists were forbidden from gathering there for their annual demonstration.

Kingdom ranked low in labour rights index

Cambodia ranked among the worst places in the world for organised labour in this year’s International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index, landing in the category of countries with “no guarantee of rights”.

The rankings focused on freedom of association and the ability to collectively bargain in the 162 countries polled, said Jeffrey Vogt, an ITUC legal adviser. The data, which was released last week, were taken from April of 2014 to April of 2015.

Cambodia, in the ITUC’s index, earned the same score as Bangladesh and Qatar, among others.

“It’s not been a good year for Cambodia,” Vogt said in an interview yesterday. “For us, it seems like the government is not trying to create an environment where trade unions are able to exercise their rights.”

ITUC’s index ranks the countries with scores from 1 to 5+, with 1 indicating infrequent violations of union rights and 5+ signifying countries with no guarantee of rights due to a breakdown of rule of law.

A score of 5, which Cambodia and 26 other nations earned, signifies that a country has no guarantee of rights, but has a functioning system of law in place.

In its section on Cambodia, ITUC highlights a number of high-profile cases where the government and authorities either stopped peaceful protests, took legal action against unionists or ignored cases of employers disobeying the Kingdom’s Labour Law.

It notes a May 1, 2014, International Labour Day demonstration in Phnom Penh that turned violent when police and notoriously brutal Daun Penh district security guards were sent in to disperse a “thinning crowd”, the ITUC report says.

“Security guards were seen beating people over the head with batons at random,” the index reads. “One man was dragged off his motorbike and beaten by a crowd of district security guards.”

In addition to disturbances of peaceful demonstrations, Vogt yesterday said that the government’s seeming intention to go forward with a law on labour unions – which critics say would curtail independent unions’ ability to organise, among other issues – shows a lack of concern for workers’ rights.

Ministry of Labour spokesman Heng Sour could not be reached yesterday.

Joel Preston, a consultant for the Community Legal Education Center, yesterday agreed that rethinking the law would prove the government’s sincerity in protecting union rights.

“Revisions to the trade union law, or even scrapping the whole thing” is necessary, Preston said yesterday.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one