Cambodia's garment industry has issued a renewed plea for help amidst new statistics revealing that more than 150,000 workers have now lost their jobs during the pandemic. Factory owners and trade unions both called on the government, and other agencies, to support the industry and former garment workers who were facing abject poverty.
The Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) has demanded the suspension of annual minimum wage negotiations to relieve pressures on factory owners, although this is opposed by trade unions. The GMAC has also urged the International Labor Organization (ILO) and European brands to support its call for the European Commission to postpone for one year its decision to partially withdraw Cambodia’s 'Everything But Arms' (EBA) trade privileges to allow the industry time to recover from the economic downturn.
The Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU) urged the Prime Minister to intervene and provide money to workers more quickly to provide them with desperately needed financial support. In an open letter, CCU claimed that workers had only received $20 from the government after their work was suspended for more than two months.
