The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training announced new payments to be made to workers in the garment and tourist sectors who had been laid off due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The latest subsidies will be the 44th round of payments which have totalled over $20 million in aggregate.
The ministry said disbursements would be made to 4,838 workers of 28 factories and other enterprises in the targeted sectors. The businesses had received permission to suspend the workers’ contracts under the Labour Law.
Recipients would be notified by text messages from Wing (Cambodia) Limited Specialised Bank, and they would have 10 days to collect payment. Unclaimed benefits would be returned to the government
In his public address on December 29, Prime Minister Hun Sen cited a report from labour minister Ith Sam Heng which noted there were currently 43 factory closures, affecting 14,578 workers.
“Since the beginning of the programme, the government has provided 83 billion riel to 329,091 factory employees who have been suspended from their work,” he said.
Hun Sen noted that some businesses had closed briefly before reopening. The government would continue to support workers whose contracts were suspended.
“We must continue to provide payments to laid-off workers. The government has the resources to assist these people,” he said.
The government decided to extend support payments for the first three months of the new year for suspended workers in the garment, textile, footwear and handbag industries, providing $40 per month. Employers are obliged to provide an additional $30, bringing the total monthly subsidy to $70.
Separately, the Ministry of Health said on December 30 that a 37-year-old Cambodian man from Phnom Penh’s Tuol Kork district had recovered from Covid-19. He had been infected after visiting a Zando fashion store on the evening of November 28.
As of December 30, Cambodia had recorded a total of 364 Covid-19 cases with 361 recoveries. Of the three patients remaining hospitalised, one is an imported case and two are linked to the November 28 community incident – a reference to the first confirmed case of local transmission.
The government announced an official conclusion of the November 28 event on December 29.
