A woman walks past the rental units that accommodate workers in Phnom Penh's Por Sen Chey district. Hong Menea
Union leaders on Monday appealed to the government to help prevent price increases in rental units that accommodate workers.
The request follows after Prime Minister Hun Sen urged landlords, as he had done in previous years, not to increase rental rates.
However, despite Hun Sen’s call, unions noted the apparent yearly increase in rent, food, and transportation costs.
Collective Union of Movement of Workers president Pav Sina told The Post on Monday that every year, the government appeals to landlords to avoid increasing rental rates but to no avail.
Workers, Sina said, are still met with a $5-$20 increase in rent depending on the room size.
“It is good that the leader of the government has appealed to landlords not to increase rental prices. However, I think it’s ineffective as it was merely a call, not an order.
“Samdech [Hun Sen] should order local officials to check all rental houses in their area. They have the authority in their areas so they must have more information about rental prices,” he said.
Sina said if the government is unable to curb the price increase – in rent, electricity and water – then it would be more financially burdensome for workers.
“If we cannot stop it and allow landlords to increase prices as they desire, it will affect the workers’ living conditions since their wages are still low,” he said.
Ath Thon, the president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union (C.CAWDU), said on Monday that landlords increase rent whenever they wanted despite the Kingdom having a law which regulates the rates.
Some landlords had already increased their rental rates in mid-2019 while some had informed workers that rates would go up starting this year, said Thon.
“Landlords increase the price as much as they want and when they want. Some increase once a year while others do so twice yearly. No one can control it nor take action against it.
“It is difficult to control, especially if local authorities do not conduct checks on the accommodation venues,” he said.
Garment workers’ wages this year will increase to $190 from last year’s $182. The mechanism for the wage increase for garment workers started in 2014.
Cambodia’s Law on Special Lease restricts landlords from charging exorbitant and unreasonable rental rates.
Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training spokesman Heng Sour said on Monday that landlords who violated the law would face immediate action.
“According to the law, local authorities can receive intervention requests in regards to any complaint against unreasonable rental increases.
“The Ministry of Labour has always accepted complaints from workers and collaborated with local authorities who, in turn, intervene and arrange a compromise between landlords and worker-tenants,” said Sour.
The Law on Special Lease, which was approved in 2015, forbids landlords from increasing rental prices for workers and students within a two-year contract. It also allows the tenant to end the contract at any time.
Ing San, a factory worker in Choam Chao I commune told The Post on Monday that her rent had already been increased. She expressed anxiety over a possible rent increase again this year after some landlords had announced plans of doing so.
“If they increase the rent, it would affect me because our wages only had a slight increase this year. If it [rental rate] is increased by $5, then the increase in wage would be negated,” said San.
