CCHR MEDIA COMMENT – Phnom Penh, 6 January 2013
CCHR highlights concerns with working conditions
of Cambodian garment workers
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”) remains
concerned with the working conditions in Cambodian garment factories, which are
clearly not yet safe and healthy for workers, and which are in breach of workers’
basic labor rights. CCHR’s concerns have been fanned by recent figures issued
for the number of garment workers fainting in 2012 as reported by The Cambodia Daily on 3 January 2013 (‘Garment
Worker Faintings Decreased in 2012’).
The Ministry of Labor’s Inspection and Legal Affairs
Department has stated that 1,686 garment workers from 24 factories fainted in
2012, in contrast to the 1,973 reported fainting incidents across only 12
factories in 2011. However, this statistic is contradicted by that offered by
the Free Trade Union, which claims that 2,107 garment workers from 29 factories
fainted in 2012. Nevertheless, even if the Ministry’s figures are taken as accurate,
while the actual number of fainting incidents has decreased, the number of
affected factories has increased, indicating that the problem has actually become
more widespread. In any event, the number is still too high, and it should be
the target of factories, brands, consumers, unions and government to recognize
the problem and take steps to ensure that such incidents are drastically
reduced in 2013. CCHR seeks to
focus attention on nutrition and food safety and ventilation systems in the
workplace, as well as the need to cease compulsory overtime work, as factors
that need to be examined with a view to protecting the right of everyone to the
enjoyment of just and favorable working conditions.
In response, CCHR
Business and Human Rights Project Coordinator, Leang Sok, comments:
“The responsibility
of businesses to provide favorable working conditions is paramount. Increased
national and international attention on the Cambodian garment industry means
that this problem must be tackled urgently. International brands buying from
Cambodian factories should be aware of this issue and put pressure on their
manufacturers to improve working conditions. Such action will benefit their reputation among consumers while
helping Cambodia develop in the right direction.”
For more information, please contact Leang Sok via telephone at +855 (0) 12 588 081 or email
at sokleang@cchrcambodia.org or Senior Consultant
Robert Finch via telephone at +855 (0) 7880 9960 or e-mail at robert.finch@cchrcambodia.org.
Please see this Media Comment attached in PDF format in both Khmer and English.
Kind regards,
CCHR
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