workers demand a living wage
Lutz Getzschmann
Published in: Socialist newspaper (SCO), December 2010
http://www.sozonline.de/2010/12/ Cambodian-strikes-in-the-textile industry /appear in the Asian textile industry, for some time again to compact flaring strikes a continental campaign cycle of the textile workers, confirm that a few years ago by Beverly Silver in their study Forces of Labor established motto: "Where capital goes, conflict goes."
fueled the militancy of workers across borders to let the Strategy of Western textile companies, in countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia produce on a wage level that is given there also rising food prices below the reproduction of material existence necessities. Then there are the effects of global crisis that has hit the textile industry hard, leading to job insecurity and in many cases, wage cuts due to the elimination of overtime.
are about 2009 the Cambodian textile exports to Europe and the United States fell by 23%, to close has 90 garment factories and temporary dismissal of 60,000 workers. The increase in exports in the first three quarters of 2010 by 7% could not offset these losses.
overexploitation
After out in the summer, the textile workers in Bangladesh a desperate struggle for a living minimum wage (see SoZ 10/2010), occurred in September in Cambodia to a very similar strike, but much larger scale.
In July the government announced to raise the minimum wage in the textile industry the equivalent of 50 to 61 U.S. dollars. The insignificance of the long expected decision caused widespread anger in the unions, they had requested an increase to at least $ 93. Their demand is well in line with the government official figures: Just had some last year, a study of Cambodian detected Development Institute, at the present Lonniveau in the textile industry is in the survival of the workers are protected only by excessive overtime, and a minimum wage equivalent to 90 U.S. dollars proposed. Particular urgency of the proposal received by the fact that the crisis this vitally necessary overtime largely disappeared since 2009.
began on September 13, the Strike action, that they involve the first 68 000 workers. Within three days the strike had spread, however, on more than 90 large textile factories and more than 200,000 striking workers - a total of 358 000 oilpainting in the Cambodian textile industry. The textile unions had called CCAWDU NIFTUC and belonging to different trade union confederations and with 45,000 or 30,000 members, a relatively large organization might have - at least as measured by the notoriously anti-union Poliks the strict, market liberalization, post-Stalinist government.
Unyielding
Trade union activities opposed by the government and its affiliated groups for years with great severity and non-transparent methods. Thus, around 2004, the Chairman of the Trades Union Congress Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) shot on the street, the investigation of the murder, including the conviction of two persons allegedly involved was held under such dubious circumstances that organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International come from a sham procedure, which should cover the really responsible.
awarded with 80,000 signatures of striking workers, the two unions of their demand for inclusion of wage negotiation. For the September 27, the government invited the unions actually for an interview, but also put away the intimidation and violent control of the strike movement. From mid-September more than 300 active and 3,300 striking union workers were dismissed because of the dispute, were arrested 261 of them. The period set by the government pay negotiations were broken off, the unions threatened further action if the dismissals would not be returned.
By mid-October for the first part of the dismissals had been withdrawn - and this is mainly due to judicial decisions. Over 100 shop steward was a report in the Phnom Penh Post, 13.10. According to still be locked out and with them nearly 700 workers who were laid off after protests against the dismissal.
Bad image
, meanwhile, has disturbed the peaceful but massive strike some corporate CEO's serious. In a joint open letter to the Cambodian Business Association GMAC expressed the clothing companies Adidas, Gap, H & M and Levi's and The Walt Disney Company, which can be finished by Cambodian companies for their range, their concern at the escalation of labor unrest, and called employers and unions to a "long-term Solution "and" regular working relationship "to - just as they had to do with the practice in Cambodia forms of the exploitation nothing. GMAC-General Ken Loo did not want to comment on the letter, but categorically rejected claims back to a further increase in the minimum wage. He also expressed willingness to negotiate on possible bonus payments and food stamps for the workers.
Given the unyielding attitude of the entrepreneur and the imperative need for the workers to fight for a wage that is sufficient for life, seem further clashes inevitable. In such a Direction also has an explanation of the union CCAWDU the beginning of November in view of the still not re-employed trade unionists and the attempts by the relevant ministry to sit out the conflict which threatened a new strike.
CCAWDU-General Ek Sopheakdey expected in early December with new work stoppages if the demands were to reinstate the workers and raising the minimum wage is not met by then. He also announced to organize rallies in this case, and blockades in front of clothing stores.
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