The Cambodian Cultural Village in Siem Reap has announced its closure due to plummeting visitors amid the global pandemic, and follows workers’ protests for more than a month over salary cuts.
Garbage collection workers remain on strike despite a union urging them to accept a deal from City Hall, with the workers saying they want to see payments not promises.
Amid a week-long strike by Phnom Penh sanitation workers, VOD speaks to several union members about the demands of the job, and why they remain committed to the hazardous work of keeping the capital clean.
Confusion reigned after the latest round of negotiations over a garbage collectors’ strike, with workers applauding a speech by Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng before later realizing, according to a unionist, that “none of their demands were accepted.”
Workers and authorities are set to continue negotiations on Wednesday over a garbage collectors’ strike that has led to major trash pile-ups around Phnom Penh and to some residents calling the capital “Garbage City.”
Thousands of workers took to the streets in multiple protests this week over unpaid wages from suspended factories as well as grievances related to benefits, as the Labor Ministry issued a warning against one unionist alleging an illegal strike and a man was detained while photographing a rally.
Performers and staff from the Cambodian Cultural Village in Siem Reap continued protesting through Thursday, fearing the loss of an administrative office would make working conditions worse in the future.
Staff at a Siem Reap cultural tourism complex negotiated with management and provincial labor officials on Tuesday, a worker representative said, a day after more than 40 employees protested outside the attraction calling for an end to salary cuts and a bargaining agreement.
The Kandal provincial governor on Monday vowed to find a solution for workers of the Dignity Knitter and Eco Base garment factories after hundreds of workers marched to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Takhmao home to protest the factories’ failure to compensate out-of-work employees.
Employees of the New Best Global Textile factory in Kampong Speu province urged the Labor Ministry on Monday to compel the company to compensate workers as they said the factory building’s owner had already rented out the property.
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