trade unions are not my enemy, PM Hun Sen

Trade Unions is not my Enemy, demonstration is their rights: Samdech Techo PM Hun Sen:

Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen on April 27 said that the trade union is not his enemy and conducting the demonstration is their rights on May 1.

“I have never had any threat on the trade union on conducting the demonstration on May 1(international Labor Day), and they have rights to demonstrate on that event, and any country in the world do the rally and march on that day,” he told the 15th government –private forum at the council for the development of Cambodian (CDC).

But the purpose of the demonstration is for what, and they can march and nobody ban them to do so, he said, adding that who wants to choose that day as sleeping day or conducting dancing performance at the factories are their rights and it means joining the parade and the march showed us the lovers of the nation.

The remark by Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen occurred after the local English language Newspaper made up his words and he asked that how did they get the quotes from. I did not say about that,” he stresses. He also warned the newspaper not to manipulate the words.

Samdech Prime Minister highlighted that it is better to have happy programs at their factories and enterprises than standing on the hot day at the demonstration. And who plans to do demonstration and send petitions, is their rights.

He emphasized that every year I have always met with 28 trade unions because the factories were allowed to open by the government. The factories are not the opposition parties, he noted.

Thus the government has to take care for all sides, employers and employees. If the employers violated on the workers, the government has to introduce and I could not accept it. But if the workers violated on the employers, it seemed to burn down factories that is the illegal acts. We have to look after both sides, he stresses.

“I have never considered those trade unions as my enemy,” he said, adding that on May 1, it marked with many ways such demonstration, happy entertainment program, song competitions at factories and all these are their freedom.

According to the report of Dr Nang Sothy, co-chairman of the working group on industrial relations in the fifteenth government –private forum, a total of 58 strikes occurred in 2009 as compared with 105 strikes in 2008. It declined 44 per cent in the number of strikes, and all strikes still did not follow the legal procedures. And there was actually a 3 per cent increase in the number of work days lost strikes, rising from about 305,000 work days lost to 314, 000 days. Garment Manufacturer Association in Cambodia (GMAC) said that there were 53,097 workers have lost their jobs because of the closure of 122 factories. Even though 67 factories were re-opened, they provided jobs to only 19,772 workers.

“There are still about 33,000 people who still lost the jobs right now,” Dr Nag Sothy said, adding that private sector believes that the vocational training to those unemployed workers is very essential for them to learn new skills and find new jobs accordingly. He added that the training shall focus on three central economic areas such as Phnom Penh, Preah Sihanouk, and Siem Reap so that they can find new jobs in these locations after training. About 40,000 workers trained for the skill at the ministry of vocational training. ###