Resuming the request of increasing minimum wage, which once held in a public forum on July 25, 2010, Cambodian Labor Confederation President Ath Thun said that he would plan to hold the other strike to protest against the latest government’s decision of the industry’s minimum wage. The schedule of the strike was due on August 25, 2010. Up to now, he claimed that he has collected more than 50,000 garment workers’ thumbprints in supporting the decision and would participate in the peaceful demonstration. The purpose of the strike was to urge the government to accept the request of that minimum wage of $75 -$93; and the reason for this strike was because the government has not agreed upon the demand. However, an official from the Office of Council of Ministers warned Saturday [August 8, 2010] that the government would consider taking legal action against the union leaders. Pa Angtoni, a member of the Jurists Council of the Council of Ministers mentioned during a discussion on government-owned television channel TVK that he would see whether or not legal action or criminal charge could be taken against union leaders in order to prevent further labor actions. In case the strike was held, he said, it would negatively impact on the garment industry and the public interest. So the government were considering to sue [him] through the court for the accusation of incitement. On behalf of the inter-ministerial labor dispute resolving committee and the Jurists Council, he would investigate and consider the possibilities of a lawsuit. What this official mentioned was seen as a threat to those union leaders. Mr. Ath Thun, who had also seen the broadcast, called the remarks as a direct government intimidation to himself for he was one of the important union leaders campaigning for increasing labor wage. He commented that if he [Pa Angtoni] spoke on behalf of the Council of Ministers, he then represented the government. It was a threat and a prohibition on the freedom of expression.
Echoing the same voice, Mr. Moeun Tola, Head of the Labor Program at the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) stated such remarks came as the threatening of the unions. If the government was really to lodge a complaint against those union leaders, it would violate their rights to freedom of expression and rights for collective bargaining. Last week, a member of the National Assembly from Sam Rainsy Party, Mr. Son Chhay, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen to ask for the government’s reconsideration about the minimum wage. He requested those workers should get $85 per month. Prior to that, on July 25, 2010 around 1,500 garment workers rallied in front of the National Assembly to demand that their wage be increased by $75-$93 per month due to the reasons that fee of house rental, food consumption and other basic needs were dramatically increasing beyond what they could earn for a living.
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