FOX News : Health

29 December, 2016

Labour Rights and Trade Union

Labour Rights and Trade Union
By Sophal CHEA

ABSTRACT

Cambodian labor movements and labor rights are guaranteed by Cambodian laws. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia grants basic labor rights such as the right to choose employment, the right to form and join trade unions and the right to strike and engage in non-violent demonstrations. The Cambodian garment and footwear industry, which represents a large share of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), experienced tremendous growth over the last two decades. The union movement also witnessed a rapid growth, starting with just a few union federations registered with the Ministry of Labor in the late 1990s to a more complex structure of enterprise-level unions, union federations, and union alliances with different affiliations. This chapter aims to provide an analytical introduction to labor rights and trade unions in Cambodia, particularly in the garment and footwear sectors. It will also look into the legal framework of the trade union movement, the draft Trade Union Law, and constitutional framework of labor rights and trade unions. It examines the situation on the respect of labor rights and labor compliance for certain provisions.
 
.

The research methodology is based on desk and literature such as the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Cambodian Labor Law, and ministerial regulations. Providing a review on literature, laws, and regulations, the chapter could potentially contribute to the understanding of basic labor rights and the respect of labor provisions in Cambodia. It will further enhance the knowledge on the differences among labor rights, as for example the right to strike, the right to collective bargaining, the right to choose employment and the right to form and join trade unions. Once the knowledge of relevant stakeholders and the public on these concepts is solid, labor disputes could mitigate and prevent them from turning into violent escalations, such as those that took place in later 2013 and 2014, which led to the death of workers and protesters. Having respect for the concepts and practices of labor rights would enhance the harmonization of industrial relations through social dialogue between trade unions and employers.

To read and download full article in PDF and the book published by KAS:

Cambodian Constitutional Law

.

No comments:

សារព័ត៌មានអន្តរជាតិInternational News

BBC News - US & Canada

CNN.com - RSS Channel - HP Hero

Top stories - Google News

Southeast Asia Globe

Radio Free Asia

Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera

NYT > Top Stories

AFP.com - AFP News

The Independent

The Guardian

Le Monde.fr - Actualités et Infos en France et dans le monde

Courrier international - Actualités France et Monde