Labour Day march to go ahead despite the ban.

Cambodia news in English! Here you'll find all the breaking news from Cambodia translated into English for our international readership and expat community to read and comment on. The majority of our news stories are gathered from the local Khmer newspapers, but we also bring you newsworthy media from Cambodia before you read them anywhere else. Because of the huge population of the capital city, most articles are from Phnom Penh, but Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, and Kampot often make the headlines as well. We report on all arrests and deaths of foreigners in Cambodia, and the details often come from the Cambodian police or local Khmer journalists. As an ASEAN news outlet, we also publish regional news and events from our neighboring countries. We also share local Khmer news stories that you won't find in English anywhere else. If you're looking for a certain article, you may use our site's search feature to find it quickly.
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Labour Day march to go ahead despite the ban.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Unions Plan for Thousands to Join Banned Labor Day March
May 1, 2017
Thousands of workers will once again defy government orders and march through central Phnom Penh this morning to mark International Labor Day, the president of one of Cambodia’s largest independent labor unions said on Monday.

Late last month, City Hall spokesman Met Measpheakdey said the plans to march about 3,000 people from near the offices of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) to the National Assembly would not be allowed to go ahead because it would cause traffic chaos. He told the unions to keep their events confined to their offices or any other private address.

But Ath Thorn, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union, said on Monday that he and 18 other union leaders were determined to try, convinced they were within their rights to make the march. The route of nearly 3 km will take them along the riverside.

“We won’t be demonstrating; we just want to celebrate Labor Day. But even demonstrating is allowed by law,” he said. “We are union representatives; we understand the law.”

The Law on Peaceful Assembly only requires that the organizers of a public event notify authorities of their plans. It lets those authorities stop those plans only if they fall on certain national holidays—Labor Day is not included—or if they have “clear information” that an event will “cause danger” or might “seriously jeopardize security.”

In the case of a rejection, the authorities and organizers are supposed to “discuss solutions” and, should they fail to find one, let the Interior Ministry make a final decision.

During Labor Day last year the unions were similarly told not to make the nearly identical march. They attempted a modified route anyway, making it to a few hundred meters from the National Assembly before they were blocked by police. Just shy of their target, they decided to carry on their rally where they were.

Mr. Thorn said they would do the same this year.
“If they block us, we will do it at that spot,” he said…

Full article: https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/unio ... ch-128928/
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Labour Day march to go ahead despite the ban.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Cost of living continues to rise. Wage demands for garment workers also...

On Labor Day, One March Abandoned, Another Improvised
May 2, 2016
About 2,000 workers in Phnom Penh on Sunday defied a government ban on celebrating International Labor Day with a march by getting as close as they could to the National Assembly, where they called for higher wages and changes to the newly approved Trade Union Law.

As it has done ahead of Labor Days past, Phnom Penh City Hall last week rejected union requests to march through the city on the grounds that they would wreak undue havoc on weekend drivers. But just as before, some of those unions ignored the warning, going ahead with their plans—if slightly revised and improvised...

Eight representatives were eventually allowed into parliament to deliver their petition to the human rights commission. Among their main demands was a boost to the current $145 monthly minimum wage for garment workers to $207.

“I’m glad I have this chance to march on International Labor Day to demand an increase to our monthly wages. But I have no hope that it will increase to $207 because we used to demand $160 but got only $145,” said Rous Kea, a garment worker who came from Kandal province to join the march.
Ms. Kea said she and her husband struggle to support their six children on what they make. “I need $300 a month to live because I pay $50 just for rent, so I need to make money from other jobs to cover our monthly expenses.”...
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/on-l ... ed-111999/
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Labour Day march to go ahead despite the ban.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Riot Police, Guards Block Labor Day Marchers
May 2, 2017

About 2,000 workers marking International Labor Day in central Phnom Penh on Monday met barricades and riot police who kept them from marching on the National Assembly with a list of demands, including higher wages and an end to union busting.
“We do not want a confrontation with authorities, but it is our right” to march, union leader Ath Thorn told the crowd from the back of a flatbed truck. “We want to send a message about our problems and the government’s bad ideas in order to achieve freedom, a proper minimum wage and better working conditions.”

Their 19-point petition included: raising the $153 monthly minimum wage for garment workers to $207; an across-the-board $250 monthly minimum for civil servants; dropping the charges that were laid against several union leaders, including Mr. Thorn, over garment workers protests that turned violent in January 2014; and the release of five current and former human rights workers who were arrested a year ago in a bribery case widely seen as politically motivated.

Their demands also focused on winning amendments to a controversial Trade Union Law, which some unions say has made it harder to protest, form local branches and represent workers since taking effect a year ago. The International Labor Organization, which consulted with the government on several drafts, says the law falls short of Cambodia’s obligations under international conventions it has signed...
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/riot ... rs-128959/
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Majestic-12 [Bot] and 905 guests