Friday, 19 September 2008

Govt shows concern over rising shut downs in garment units

Fibre2fashion News Desk- India

September 19, 2008

Apparel industry of Cambodia is under threat of being running into deep trouble as many factories are pulling their shutters down which is affecting the production and thereby directly affecting the economy of the country. Main reason for the closure of garment companies is innumerable strikes of workers, leaving owners no other option other than shutting their units.

In order to gain more information regarding the worrisome situation Fibre2fashion contacted Mr Cheat Khemara, Senior Labour Officer, Garment Manufacturer's Association of Cambodia (GMAC) who stated, “This year from January to July, nine member factories of GMAC have closed down. There are various reasons which have led to the closure, which includes workers demanding high wages and unfulfilled demands. Till July 2008 there have been almost 79 strikes which is alarming when compared to full last year’s total of 80.”

When asked about what steps the Government is taking to overcome this situation which has left large number of workers unemployed Mr Khemara asserted,”The authorities are planning to establish new laws concerning Union Organizations. The Government is making efforts to improve the means of communication between comapny officials and the union's and encourage new investment plans.”

The Senior Labour Offices further divulged, ”The garment industry is also making efforts to explore new markets for Cambodian products so that it can earn large amount of foreign currency.”

There are nearly 350,000 workers associated with the garment industry nationwide.

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