Cambodias garment factory workers: Ripe for exploitation

An injured Cambodian worker escapes from riot police during clashes in Phnom Penh last November. Pic: AP.

By Albeiro Rodas an !!" #$!%

Eight days after the crackdown on garment factory workers and opposition rallies in Phnom Penh, Cambodia seems normal this weekend. The national tele ision contin!es its reg!lar programs showing Thai and "orean soap operas, karaoke ideos and news abo!t c!rio!s things in the #est like the polar freezing in US or $national news% like the &an!ary '(s )iberation *ay +nni ersary. The crackdown gets some mentions on T,, s!ch as to anno!nce that factories are filing cases in co!rt against trade !nions for $incitement to strike, damage to property and assets%. Cheap manpower has attracted companies from co!ntries like China, -o!th "orea and ,ietnam to Cambodia to ser e big c!stomers s!ch as .ike, +didas, P!ma, /ap and 012.

Cambodia has two ery important factors to g!arantee s!ch cheap manpower: a lot of yo!ng people and a large r!ral pop!lation. Eighty percent of Cambodians were li ing in r!ral areas in 3445 6.7-, 3445, p.89, while 33 percent of Cambodians are between 8: and 3; years old 67ndex 2!ndi, 348<9. +s po erty is mostly concentrated in r!ral areas, factory workers are mostly farmers with low le els of ed!cation and few options to do other things in their fight to break the po erty line. Emigration is also high, with Thailand, China, 2alaysia and -o!th "orea the main destinations. There is a wa e of legal migration thro!gh certain agencies promoting domestic ser ants in 2alaysia or constr!ction workers in Thailand. 7n 348< Thailand agreed to pay <44 baht per day as minim!m wage to employees, approximately 84 =dollars or ;4,444 Riel. 7n Cambodia, many workers earn >!st ?< a day. 0owe er, those working in other co!ntries are not there legally. +ccording to ,@+ "hmer, 8A4,444 migrant Cambodian workers are looking to be legaliBed in Thailand alone, with many working off the books in the sex trade, illegal fishing or constr!ction >obs 6Ch!n -akada, 3483, para. 89 (MORE: Civil society groups ramp up pressure on Cambodian govt) -trikes at Cambodian garment factories are not rare, with conditions so bad and ho!rs so long that mass faintings are also not !ncommon. +s these workers s!ffer, Cambodias leaders and ind!strialists are getting rich. + few years ago most of these workers s!pported the CPP go ernment, b!t policies of land grabbing and e iction of farmers and now the latest br!tal crackdown is f!rther !ndermining the pop!larity of the go ernment. Cor many the impact wo!ld be deeply negati e ca!sing a s!dden inflation and !nemployment. #hat is tr!e is that keeping a low minim!m wage in Cambodia, will attract soon a crisis not only in the garment sector, b!t in other areas too. @ffering cheap manpower to promote foreign in estment can be a good thing, b!t not when the go ernment stands by as its people toil for pittance. +t the same time, discontent yo!ng workers will tend to look >obs in other sectors s!ch as the to!rist ind!stry. The strike crackdown attracted international condemnation as sec!rity forces opened fire on protesters armed with stones asking to earn =-?8A4. 7t shocked not only h!man rights defenders aro!nd the globe, b!t also m!ltinationals that are at last becoming more sensiti e to the conditions of the workers that make their prod!cts. 7nternational clothing retailers like +didas, Col!mbia, P!ma, /ap, 012 and )e i -tra!ss, said this week that they oppose iolence and called on the go ernment to find a peacef!l sol!tion to the problem, stating also that workers ha e the right to work in a safe and sec!re en ironment. 6"imseng 2en, 348;, para. :9 The #ashington Post has a good article on whether the minim!m wage kills >obs or not, saying $it doesnt appear to worsen !nemployment in any noticeable way% 6D. Pl!mer, 348<, para. 39. 7n a st!dy by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, it is explained why the

increase of minim!m wage does not mean necessary an increase on !nemployment: In the traditional discussion of the minimum wage, economists have focused on how these costs affect employment outcomes, but employers have many other channels of adjustment. Employers can reduce hours, non-wage benefits, or training. Employers can also shift the composition toward higher s illed wor ers, cut pay to more highly paid wor ers, ta e action to increase wor er productivity !from reorganizing production to increasing training", increase prices to consumers, or simply accept a smaller profit margin. #or ers may also respond to the higher wage by wor ing harder on the job. $ut, probably the most important channel of adjustment is through reductions in labor turnover, which yield significa Posted by Thavam