The Labor Ministry this week warned a labor leader and her union that it could be dissolved over her allegedly illegal incitement of workers to protest over a garment factory closure that left workers without contracts and compensation.
![A woman holds a sign saying “The pain of the people is the pain of Samdech [Prime Minister Hun Sen]” as nightlife workers filed a petition to the premier’s cabinet asking for aid on June 25, 2020. (Hy Chhay/VOD)](https://vodenglish.news/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-06-25-nightlife-worker-petition-462x290.jpg)
Many nightlife industry workers — from bartenders to waitresses — have gone months without a stable salary, and some say they are discouraged by the lack of social welfare funding for their sector’s workers.
The leader of an informal workers’ union in Poipet City said excessive security forces were deployed throughout the city as a “threat” after his request to hold a demonstration over border crossing restrictions next week was denied.
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.
Former employees of the shuttered Great Duke Hotel again protested in front of the building on Thursday, calling for awarded compensation from the Phnom Penh hotel’s owner or legal action from the Labor Ministry.
Former staff of the closed Great Duke hotel in Phnom Penh have been awarded compensation by arbiters, as unions again demanded changes to the Trade Union Law, which they say restricts workers’ rights and the ability to organize.
The owner of the shuttered Great Duke Hotel in Phnom Penh has declined to offer unpaid seniority payments and other benefits demanded by workers, while agreeing to pay compensation for unused annual leave, according to the union representing workers in the ongoing dispute.
Eliminating extra pay for night shifts under proposed Labor Law amendments will boost investment in the country, Labor Minister Ith Sam Heng said at a consultation meeting with unions and employers on Thursday.
More than 1,000 workers at the NagaWorld casino began a strike on Thursday demanding higher wages and the reinstatement of their union representative, and vowed to continue until their demands were met.
Officials from the national down to the local level should face an investigation into possible collusion and noncompliance in issuing and enforcing building permits, labor groups urged in a press conference on Wednesday.
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