Cintri workers continue strike after talks fail

October 9, 2020
Khmer Times


Cintri workers continued their strike yesterday, despite negotiations with City Hall on Wednesday that were dubbed as positive.
Cintri staff representative Kach Sokvat said the reason why workers have not yet returned to work is because a solution was not reached during negotiations that everyone agreed on.

He also said that further meetings between the governor Khuong Sreng, the company, union representatives and workers are needed to find a solution.

“If the company, as well as the City Hall, help solve this, they will return to work,” he said.

In response, City Hall released a statement yesterday expressing disappointment over the decision not to return to work.

Sreng met with the company, workers and union representatives on Wednesday at the company headquarters in what was dubbed a positive negotiation.

After the meeting, he said City Hall, the company and the workforce had come to an agreement over payments, seniority and job security.

However, Cintri workers did not return to work.

“City Hall regrets the actions of Cintri employees and their decision to not return to work, following the agreements made on Wednesday,” the City Hall statement said.

Meanwhile, City Hall is using district officials and guards to collect garbage.

“City Hall deployed 70 trucks along with officials from 14 districts to collect the garbage. We will provide $10 per person per day for people involved in the cleanup,” it added.

Cintri company employee Mey Phan said that after the meeting on Wednesday, some of the workers agreed to return to work and some did not. However, those that wanted to return didn’t in a show of unity.

“We want to all work together. So, when some of us do not agree, we await a solution for all. That’s why we have not returned to work,” he said.

He added that most of the garbage workers do not understand the law and were not convinced they would be protected by it.

“We are not educated, so we find it difficult to understand and talk about solutions that involve the law,” he said.

He said that some of the workers still want the initial demands, which go beyond what was negotiated at the meeting.

“I will wait on the other workers’ decision. However, if they do not return, I will not either,” he added.

Daun Penh district resident Sem Sitha said that she hopes a solution is found soon, to avoid garbage building up on the streets again.

“Garbage piles up quickly outside resident’s houses and on the street when it is not picked up. I hope that both sides find a solution soon,” she said.

She said that the garbage affects peoples’ livelihoods and businesses due to a lot of garbage piling up in front of their houses and on the street.

Strikes began on October 2, when Cintri employees demanded seniority pay, damage pay, compensation in lieu of prior notice, last month’s salary and annual leave pay.

The strikes reportedly came after City Hall cancelled Cintri’s monopoly on garbage collection in the capital, splitting collection into three zones and opening those zones to garbage collections companies to bid for.

Currently, there are six companies shortlisted for the zones, including Cintri.

Kammekor wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 8:22 am Some Sangkats have deployed their own local rubbish collectors. it's a pity sight/. They clean up a spot today, there's another pile tomorrow.

How is that different from normal?

Problem solved...


Joking aside, isn't this how outbreaks of Cholera start? A waste water system overloaded with bacteria and backing up so far it seeps into the 'clean' water system?

Something is fishy.

There must be targeted strike areas? Or is Cintri broken up into separate fiefdoms?

Throughout all this strike talk, the garbage in our neighborhood has been collected as normal.

timmydownawell wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 12:11 pm

Kammekor wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 8:22 am Some Sangkats have deployed their own local rubbish collectors. it's a pity sight/. They clean up a spot today, there's another pile tomorrow.

How is that different from normal?

Because the policemen doing it aren't paid.

Kammekor wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 3:05 pm

timmydownawell wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 12:11 pm

Kammekor wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 8:22 am Some Sangkats have deployed their own local rubbish collectors. it's a pity sight/. They clean up a spot today, there's another pile tomorrow.

How is that different from normal?

Because the policemen doing it aren't paid.

I thought the news article above said they get paid $10 per day?

Advertising for rubbish collectors. From FB. At least I think that's what this is about, FB translate is not great.

Cintri’s Garbage-Collection Workers Remain on Strike despite an Arbitration Council’s Order
A few of them have returned to work while most of them are waiting for Cintri to pay their benefits due.
By Cambodianess - October 12, 2020

Workers at Cintri (Cambodia) Ltd have remained on strike in spite of the order issued by the Arbitration Council on Oct. 9 stating that they had to return to work on Oct. 10.

Kao Savat, Cintri employees’ union president, confirmed on Oct. 11 that the workers on strike since Oct. 2 had continued their protest. “There still is no solution,” he said, that the workers can consider acceptable.

However, around 200 of the 2,150 workers, most of them women, went back to work, Savat said. “Some street sweepers were back at work…but the truck drivers and garbage collectors who transport the trash to the landfill,” he said, are still on strike.
https://cambodianess.com/article/cintri ... cils-order

My girl told me yesterday they just secured a pay rise and end of year bonus, so back to work , it was from her Facebook

atst wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2020 7:52 am My girl told me yesterday they just secured a pay rise and end of year bonus, so back to work , it was from her Facebook

Well girl got it nearly half right just read the news from Phnom Penh post.can some download the news clip to here