"Catu urges reinstatement of three dismissed unionists", 12 May 2020

The Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (Catu) released a statement requesting that Roo Hsing Garment Co Ltd reinstate three dismissed union officials after the organisation deemed their dismissal unsubstantiated and unfair.

The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training’s Department of Labour Dispute director Chrun Theravong decided … to dismiss assistant shop steward and union activist Kon Soch, vice-president of the local factory union Ek Sarun, and secretary of the local factory union Sok Kong, at the request of Roo Hsing Garment.

Roo Hsing Garment said the employees violated Article 83 of the Labour Law, which prohibits employees from a slew of punishable actions including making threats, committing fraud, stealing and inciting other workers to commit offences.

The statement, …, said in mid-April Roo Hsing Garment accused the three of formulating a plan to have all employees stop working at the factory … to pressure their employers into allowing them to take a vacation during Khmer New Year…

Catu president Yang Sophorn told … that the union was left speechless when the director of the Department of Labour Dispute of the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training had allowed the company to dismiss the three.

She also said Catu would file a complaint with international buyers to persuade them to intervene in the case in addition to filing a complaint with the Minister of Labour…

Ministry spokesman Heng Sour told … that its officials had handled the case according to law, and that the three had incited workers to commit a serious mistake…