ITF condemns Cambodian violence

The dispute first arose when workers went on strike on 24 December, fighting for a higher minimum wage. The government had offered an increased minimum wage of USD95 per month – an improvement on the current USD80, but nowhere near the USD160 workers say they need to survive.

Since then, workers have been exercising their legitimate right to protest, while the government continues to mobilise heavily armed police and soldiers to quash the protests.

ITF acting general secretary Steve Cotton wrote to the prime minister of Cambodia on Friday 17 January, condemning the violence against striking garment workers. He supported the demands of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and fellow global union federations in demanding an end to violence, the release of all the arrested workers, and for the government to return to the negotiating table with worker and employer representatives.

Cotton said: “The news that workers have been killed, simply for exercising their right to protest, is absolutely appalling. We stand side-by-side with our sister global union federations to call for an end to this violence, and in encouraging the General Manufacturers Association in Cambodia to step down their calls for government intervention.”

The ITF is calling on all its affiliates to support a LabourStart campaign to support workers’ rights in Cambodia. Get involved and sign the petition now.