By Matt Blomberg
PHNOM PENH, Jan 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The termination of about 1,200 staff from garment factories in Cambodia supplying brands including H&M and Marks & Spencer after a mass strike has sent a ripple of fear through the industry, experts said, warning of fresh unrest.
Thousands of workers from factories in and around Phnom Penh went on strike last week amid fears bosses were plotting to circumvent a new government edict to pay – and backpay – bonuses based on length of employment.
A court found the strikes were illegal and ordered workers back to factory floors. About 1,200 who ignored the order had their contracts torn up, labour groups said.
The sackings fuel longstanding anxieties about job security and the fight for decent working conditions in Cambodia’s largest industry, which employs about 700,000 people and accounts for 40 percent of gross domestic product.
“It sends a kind of fear through the industry, particularly for those workers who have a limited knowledge of the law,” said Khun Tharo, a program coordinator at the Center for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights.
“It is not 100 percent clear how the new rules should be implemented, and I am concerned that without more education on that, we could be headed toward another period of labour unrest.”
Cambodia’s garment sector has been the subject of international scrutiny since 2014, when five striking workers were shot dead during clashes with security forces.
Some brands, including H&M, have said they are committed to improving the lives of those in their supply chain, but workers and advocates say they are still struggling to make ends meet.
