At his Phnom Penh laundry shop, owner Thy Leanghour exclusively employs people living with disabilities, offering his staff an opportunity to independently earn an income and challenge the biases often associated with disability in the workplace.
About 100 fired garment workers have been guarding their closed factory in shifts since mid-January. They aim to ensure the owner does not sell equipment left inside and disappear with the money before paying workers what they are owed by the end of May.
Garment factories have taken precautions in an effort to prevent Covid-19 from spreading down assembly lines. But workers and labor advocates say they are concerned the cramped trucks that ferry workers to factories could be potential hot spots for infection.
Tuk-tuk drivers in Phnom Penh are losing their income as tourist arrivals to Cambodia plummet and residents decide to stay home during the Covid-19 pandemic. But as informal workers, they are largely excluded from the limited social welfare that others can access.
On the front lines of Cambodia’s fight against Covid-19, the five-man team responsible for disposing of all of Phnom Penh’s medical waste says they are poorly equipped, uninsured and at risk of infection, but few recognize the challenges they face.
Workers who were told to isolate at home as a Covid-19 precaution said they would accept orders to take time off. But with more garment factories suspending production due to reduced orders, some workers worry their leave will be extended indefinitely.
For indebted garment workers who have been suspended from work due to coronavirus disruptions, money owed to microfinance institutions is a more immediate threat than Covid-19, leading some to consider selling assets before they’re repossessed.
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