Cambodia garment workers begin big strike over pay

Cambodian workers are seen on strike outside a garment factory in Phnom Penh

via CAAI

PHNOM PENH — Tens of thousands of Cambodian garment workers began a week-long strike Monday -- the latest mass walkout by employees in Asia who are demanding a bigger share of the region's economic success.

About 60,000 workers seeking higher wages joined the action at more than 40 factories, out of a total of about 470 across the country, said Ath Thun, president of the Cambodian Labour Confederation.

"We will continue the strike until there is an appropriate negotiation," he told AFP.

From Bangladesh to China, workers in several Asian countries have staged walkouts in recent months as they seek better job conditions.

Cambodia's garment industry -- which produces items for renowned brands including Gap, Benetton, Adidas and Puma -- is a key source of foreign income for the country and employs about 345,000 workers.

The strike follows a deal between the government and industry that set the minimum wage for garment and footwear staff at 61 dollars a month.

Unions say the salary is not enough to cover food, housing and travel expenses, and want a base salary of 93 dollars.

They had hoped more than 80,000 workers would join the walkout. Ath Thun said threats by employers to fire strikers were partly to blame for the lower than expected participation.

Manufacturers have warned that the strike will result in a loss of production and a drop in orders from buyers, harming Cambodia's standing among investors.

"It will badly affect the reputation of the industry because the unions in question do not obey the law," Ken Loo, secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers' Association in Cambodia (GMAC), told AFP last week.

Cambodia, where more than 30 percent of the country's 14 million people live on less than 50 US cents a day, relies on the garment industry as its largest source of income.

The industry was hit hard last year when the global economic crisis saw exports drop to 2.69 billion dollars, from 3.1 billion dollars in 2008.

But during the first seven months of this year, exports increased 13.4 percent to 1.63 billion dollars, according to Ministry of Commerce.