Cambodia lawmakers passed a proposed law, setting rules for trade unions. The legislation was said to be designed with a purpose of limiting the workers' right and ability to conduct strikes.
According to CNBC, the Cambodian lawmakers approved the new law which has been fiercely contested for years by factory workers. The workers are battling for higher pay while they are supported by rights groups saying that the garment industry is full of abuse but the law does little help to the workers. It should be known that the more than 700 clothing and shoes factories in the country provides work to 700,000 people including those biggest names in the West such as Nike, Adidas, Gap and H&M. The government of Prime Minister Hun Sen defended the law saying it is intended for a better regulation of the unions.
Salon wrote that the lower house of Parliament on Monday evening voted for the passage of the law with 67 votes while the opposition received only 31 votes. This indicates that the law might be applied and the senate's voting is only considered a formality. President of the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia, Chea Mony, spoke regarding the issue, stating it doesn't reflect the interest of the workers and strictly lessens their ability for strikes.
The new law proposed that workers who are and have been facing abuse or mistreatment and want to stage a protest must ask the permission of the factory owners or else, be arrested for blocking the production. New York Times reported that Mony believes the law is designed to obstruct workers from forming unions. He said "This law is total nonsense. It does not serve the benefit of workers or the Cambodian people."
Phil Robertson of the Human Rights Watch said the law is an indicator of downward slide for the labor rights in Cambodia. The law was in hiatus and proposal stage for eight years and was even said to have gone to revisions. However, activists claim none of their demands were granted in the final version.
