Wednesday, 9.5.2007: Hun Sen Pushes Amendment of Article 114 of Labor Law while the Amendment Is Strongly Opposed by Trade Unions

The Mirror, Vol. 11, No. 507

“In a speech at a degree awarding ceremony at the National Institute of Education near the Independence Monument on Tuesday morning, Hun Sen pushed the National Assembly to amend Article 114 of the Labor Law. The demand for this amendment has caused strong opposition by many trade unions, because the amendment will seriously affect the workers’ benefits.

“During the speech that was not very interesting for the students who had come to receive their degrees yesterday, Hun Sen said, ‘I would like to thank those trade unions which support the planned amendment of the Labor Law.’ The trade unions that Hun Sen referred to at that time are the few trade unions that the government has created, using the strategic trick of ‘removing a thorn with a thorn,’ in order to resist the trade unions which represent the workers’ real will.

“In the past few days, those trade unions which always advance the government’s positions, congratulated the request of the government asking the National Assembly to amend Article 114 of the Labor Law, which will lead to a serious erosion of benefits of the workers who work at night.

“According to this Article 114, the workers who work at night get at present a payment at the level of 200% [of their normal wage]. But after the amendment, the payment for the workers who work at night will be decreased to 130% [of their normal wages] only. This is the demand by the government and the employers.

“Mr. Chea Mony, the president of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the trade union which struggles hard to protect the workers’ benefits, said, ‘I believe that it is unlikely that the workers will be able to accept this, and therefore there will be large demonstrations, if the National Assembly amends Article 114 of the Labor Law.’

“This trade union leader finds that the amendment of Article 114 of the Labor Law makes the workers face serious livelihood problems, because the workers are responsible for the expenditures for almost everything from their small salaries, such as room rent, food, and transportation. Therefore, the National Assembly should not amend this article that will affect the benefits and the livelihood of Khmer workers.

“Concerning this, a statement of the Confederation of Cambodian Trade Unions of Workers, which is the association of Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, openly accuses the government, controlled by Hun Sen, of taking an attitude of prejudice against Khmer workers – i.e. the government pays attention only on the protection of the benefits of big traders and capitalists who are the owners of the factories, without caring about the benefits, the well-being, and the suffering of Khmer workers.

“Khmer workers always have to express their suffering through strikes and demonstrations. Suffering is caused by the oppression by employers and factory owners, such as forcing workers to work overtime, bankruptcy of factories without paying the workers their wages, as well other inhumane acts. The government should rather take responsibility for protecting the workers’ benefits. But it is seen in general that the solution the government finds when there are disputes between workers and factory owners is the use of police and military police forces, with guns and electric batons to beat and suppress the workers. This aspect reflects that Khmer workers suffer double in struggling to seek justice for themselves. The double suffering is that the workers are harmed by the factory owners, and then they are again cruelly beaten and suppressed by forces of the Hun Sen Government authority.

“The request of the government, pushing the National Assembly to amend Article 114 of the Labor Law, is based on an inappropriate reason: that it is to attract investors to come to Cambodia. Yesterday, Hun Sen also said, ‘Our policy is to create new jobs for our workers.’ But with bad temper he also criticized the movement against the amendment of Article 114 of the Labor Law, ‘This demand for the salaries of 200% of the normal, for those who work at night, is just a call which will confuse the public opinion. It cannot work.’

“Does this mean that investors don’t come to Cambodia only because of Article 114 which provides that the [night shift] workers get salaries at the level of 200%?

“Mr. Chea Mony thinks that this is not the reason. The problem, why investors do not like to come to invest in Cambodia, is because of an existing network of corruption in Cambodia. In order to increase the number of investors, Cambodia should create the anti-corruption law and stop any demand that leads to a loss of workers’ benefits.” Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3153, 9.5.2007

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Wednesday, 9 May 2007

Areyathor, Vol.14, #1234, 9-10.5.2007

• Head of Cambodian Government Calls Those Who Worry about Oil Stupid Scholars

Deum Ampil, Vol.2, #18, 9-15.5.2007

• Whisper Words [confidential advice]: Municipal Governor Should Help Suppress Gambling Opposite of the Ministry of Defense
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Khmer Amatak, Vol.8, #472, 9.5.2007

• Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia Warns about Demonstration if National Assembly Amends Article 144 of Labor Law [decreasing pay for overtime night shifts from 200% to 130%]
• Beware that Oil Worth Tens of Thousands of Millions of Dollars: It Is Not Enough to Repay Foreign Debts

Khmer Mekong, Vol.5, #268, 8-9.5.2007

• Ministry of Interior Announces Recruitment of 70 Administration Officials and 100 Other Officials

Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6034, 9.5.2007

• Phnom Penh Municipal Governor Urges Customs Branches to Strengthen Collection of Taxes from Unused Land

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3153, 9.5.2007

• Hun Sen Pushes Amendment of Article 114 of Labor Law while the Amendment Is Strongly Opposed by Trade Unions

Rasmei Angkor, Vol.14, #1177, 9.5.2007

• Samdech Hun Sen Stops Speaking about Khmer Rouge Issue [for anger that he is accused of supporting the former Khmer Rouge leaders]

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4279, 9.5.2007

• Samdech Hun Sen: ‘Amendment of Labor Law Will Create Additional Jobs for Approximately 200,000 People’
• An Expert: Tuol Tumpong Market Is Main Place of Ancient Artifact Trafficking [Phnom Penh]
• More Than 700 Cars Burned [in riots in France] after Sarkozy Won [presidential] Election

Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.14, #3030, 9.5.2007

• Influx of Yuon [Vietnamese] Immigrants to Cambodia Still Continues through Bavet Border Crossing without Prevention [Svay Rieng]
• Cambodia and UNDP Publish Study of Action against Corruption

Sralanh Khmer, Vol.3, #395, 9.5.2007

• Son Chhay [SRP parliamentarian, Phnom Penh] Asks Hun Sen to Arrest and Jail Say Hak [Sihanoukville Governor, from Funcinpec – about violence against people over land dispute]

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