Human Rights Watch Warns of Labor Rights Abuse in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia –Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims that Cambodia’s garment sector is rife with labor rights abuses, including forced excessive overtime, union discrimination, and an overuse of short-term contracts. The garment sector is one of Cambodia’s most profitable, generating more than $5 billion each year in exports and employing up to 700,000 workers. But the sector has long been hampered by labor violations and allegations of human rights abuses, as well as frequent strikes by workers demanding a higher minimum wage. In a report released on Thursday, New York-based HRW detailed these rampant violations after interviews with more than 340 people in the $5 billion industry, including workers, government officials, union leaders and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC). “[Labor rights abuses] include overtime and retaliation against those who sough exemption from overtime, lack of rest breaks, denial of sick leave, use of underage child labor, and the use of union-busting strategies to thwart independent unions,” the report, titled “Work Faster or Get Out” said, adding that women were especially vulnerable to discrimination and dismissal if they were pregnant. Cambodia’s Labor Law mandates that employees are able to work up to 60 hours a week, a schedule that is generally preferred by

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