Advocacy in Cambodia: Increasing Democratic ... - Pact Cambodia

Case Studies
two of the more independent unions.
Cooperation and International Networking
While cooperation between unions appears
weak, international agencies work in close
coordination with them, often conducting joint
training activities. A number of international trade
unions have contact with Cambodian unions,
including: the International Trade Union
Secretariat, the World Confederation of Labor,
and international woodworkers, textile, leather,
and industrial unions.
Lessons Learned
• Most of the progress made in the
Cambodian labor movement is due to the
influence of U.S. quotas and unfortunately not due
to political will to improve Cambodian garment
workers’ conditions.
• The main need of the garment labor
movement, like other sectors covered in this
report, is to develop strong leaders who know how
to bargain. Until union leaders gain the strength
to conduct collective bargaining with employers,
concessions won are likely to remain limited.
• Many international agencies would like to
support unions, but they do not usually
understand how unions work. In order for the
Cambodian labor movement to become strong, it
must be developed slowly and unions need to
widen their outreach to non-labor sector
international agencies.
• While unions tend not to cooperate with
each other, companies are very united and present
a solid front to the unions. If unions are to
continue to gain in strength, they need to present
a similar united front to government and
employers.
• Union leaders indicate that study tours, in
which they are able to meet and exchange ideas
with other union leaders, are particularly useful
to them. In one example, union leaders were
particularly impressed by meetings with leaders
of Native American communities that were
fighting for their rights.
Future Considerations
Long-Term Planning
In 2005, WTO regulations require that U.S.
quotas be phased out. While a number of scenarios
are imagined - factories laying off workers and
companies moving to China; downward pressure
being applied to wages - none of the central actors
appears to be developing (individually or in
collaboration) a plan to retain investors in
Cambodia.
One possibility should be to improve working
conditions in Cambodia’s garment factories to the
extent that buyers feel justified in paying slightly
more for Cambodian products as they are helping
to protect human rights. This would require first
improving working conditions in factories so that
they meet legal requirements and then organizing
a campaign targeting overseas buyers, particularly
from the U.S. and Europe. So far, promotion of
Cambodian goods has been limited or nonexistent,
although the ILO monitoring synthesis
report did appeal to U.S. buyers to become
interested in Cambodian production. In order for
such a campaign to reach buyers in time, it would
have to be organized fairly soon, as only three
years of the quota system remain.
Export Processing Zone
The government is currently working on
legislation to create Export Processing Zones
(EPZ) on the Thai border that would allow Thai
infrastructure to be combined with low-skilled
Cambodian assembly labor, along the lines of the
maquiladora processing plants on the U.S.-Mexico
border. The draft law is not explicit regarding the
presence of unions in these zones, and union
leaders fear that the EPZs would be used to
circumvent the Labor Law, especially since an ILO
convention suggests exceptions for developing
countries. Five unions are currently studying the
issue and learning from examples in countries like
the Philippines. While it is good to have
investment in the country, unions and union
supporters feel that investors must allow
organized labor to operate in those zones and will
accordingly lobby for this to occur.
References
Barton, Michael, 2000. The Labor Movement in Cambodia: A Short
History. Civil Society and Good Governance. Cambodian Institute
for Cooperation and Peace. Volume 1, Issue 1.
Engquist, Michael, 2001. Making Garments Worth Producing: A
Survey of the Trade Union Movement Within the Cambodian
Garment Industry. Star Kampuchea, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Connor, Tim, 2001. Still Waiting for Nike to Do It: Nike’s Labor
Practices in the Three Years Since CEO Phil Knight’s Speech to the
National Press Club. Global Exchange, San Francisco, California,
USA.
International Labor Organization, 2001. First Synthesis Report on
Working Conditions in Cambodia’s Garment Sector.
Footnotes
1
There are a number of non-garment unions in Cambodia, including:
teachers, construction and restoration of Angkor Wat workers,
commercial sex workers, tourism, Naga Casino, hotel workers in
Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, shoe makers, and wood forest workers
(rubber included).
2
The first trade union in post-war Cambodia was actually established
in 1979, but was considered a tool for the socialist government to
implement government policies.
3
Worker representative elected by employees who are not
represented by a union.
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