Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU) is seeking a hike in wages of garment workers and has threatened to launch a mass strike if the demand is not met.
Around 300 CCU members, who staged a protest at Freedom Park in Phnom Penh, threatened that if the Government fails to hike the wages of garment workers, there would be large-scale industrial unrest in near future.
Urging the Prime Minister to hike the minimum wage to US$ 150 per month, CCU President Rong Chhun said the demand was not very high considering that other Asean countries pay around US$ 170-260 per month in wages to garment workers.
Narrating the plight of the garment workers in the country, the CCU chief said that incidents of workers’ fainting at work occur frequently, as they lack nourishment. Low wages do not allow them to buy good food, as they can afford to spend only between 500-1,000 riel for daily food, he said. During the protest march, workers held banners that read “$61 makes us faint”, pointing at the meagre remuneration that garment workers get as minimum monthly wage.
Mr. Chhun said that though the December 30 protest did not had many participants, they would soon launch a large-scale protest with thousands of workers.
