Strength in numbers: some results by WSM partners in Cambodia 2023

Services related to Social security: 

1.100 union leaders and workers, of which 30% women and 35% younger than 35 years, were reached through actions focusing on better access to social security through awareness raising initiatives, basic and advanced training, legal assistance and support, research and advocacy to decision makers. 

As the CLC president sits on the Board of the NSSF, they raise workers’ problems regarding the quality of the NSSF services. Within CLC, a committee was established in 2022 to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Social Security schemes and their activities contributed to an additional 500 members from the agricultural sector to register in the NSSF, as well as a new pension scheme being implemented from October 2023.

NETWORK: CLC decided to join in 2023 SP4ALL (Social Protection for All), a platform to raise awareness on social protection and reduce citizen's concerns to the duty bearers. This platform was established by Oxfam and involves several members. They have the objective to ensure a more inclusive, rights-based and shock-responsive social protection system as part of an Oxfam project which runs to January 2024 by promoting the active participation and consultation of Cambodian civil society organisations (CSOs). SP4ALL will contribute to building trust and cooperation between rights holders and duty bearers, intending to reach approximately 1,7 million individuals, comprising of formal and informal economic workers (street vendors, market sellers, domestic workers, waste collectors, tuk-tuk driver, service workers, construction workers, farmers), people with disabilities, elderly people, women and children and ID poor households who are prone to risks and economic shocks.

Mainstreaming knowledge on social security - Cambodia context in 2023

The development of the social protection system in Cambodia has progressed rapidly in the last decade, especially since the Royal Government of Cambodia approved and implemented the "National Social Protection Policy Framework 2016-2025". This policy document is a long- term roadmap of the Government to lead the implementation of the social protection policy in Cambodia under the common vision of ensuring citizen's income security, reducing and preventing poverty, vulnerability and social inequality, as well as contributing to the wider development of human resources, including promoting sustainable national economic growth. To develop the social protection system and to ensure better harmonization of the different strategies, policies and other social protection activities, the Royal Government has established the “National Social Protection Council” (NSPC). The NSPC is the key actor responsible for the overall coordination and steering on the development of various social protection strategies and policies. 

The National Social Security Fund or NSSF consists of 3 schemes: Occupational Risks Scheme (2008), Health Care (2016), Pension (2022). The Law on Social Security Schemes, which dates from 2019, also foresees the development of an unemployment benefit scheme. Until 2021, 17.355 companies had registered in NSSF, with a total number of 4.335.501 members: 2.723.837 men and 1.633.583 women. 

Before 2017, WSM has also worked with the Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC) and its main federation C.CAWDU, which is organizing the workers in the garment industries of Cambodia. While contacts with CLC have remained between 2017 and 2022, as they were also part of the continental network on the right to social protection in Asia, WSM has decided to return to Cambodia to put up a program with CLC to mainstream and increase the knowledge of union leaders and workers in factories on the national social security system. In the past actions were quite focused on further developing the NSSF, through advocacy by CLC to the Cambodian government. This time the goal is to ensure that within the organization of CLC knowledge and expertise on social security is more widely shared, also at the local levels of the organization, as well in the federations organizing the formal as the informal sectors. By the end of 2026, 1.725 union leaders, members and workers should have in-depth knowledge on the Cambodian social security system and have the ability to raise awareness and advocacy for better policies on social security. 

Aside from that, CLC keeps pushing to increase the coverage of the NSSF to an additional 300.000 workers (of which 60.000 in the informal sectors) and for improving the quality of the existing system, in particular the health care scheme and the occupational risks scheme. The union propagates that all Cambodian workers should be able to have health insurance and that it should similarly be available to their family members. At the same time the quality if the health facilities should improve and more diseases should be covered by the health insurance. CLC also advocates for the new pension scheme to apply to all Cambodian workers and for the creation of an unemployment benefits scheme.

Saving money because of social security - Cambodia, 2022

TESTIMONY 

Name: Mrs. Gnil Kimy

Age :  38 years old

Nationality: Cambodian

Profession: garment worker

Before Mrs. Gnil was unaware regarding the social security system of Cambodia (National Social Security Fund or NSSF), which covers health insurance, work accidents and pension. So when Mrs. Gnil had a health problem, she would go to the hospital or to the doctor and spend a lot of money on medicines and health checks. But she attended a training from CLC where experts of the NSSF explained the social security law, the benefits workers can avail through the social security system. After the training she had a clear understanding of the NSSF and how to apply for its benefits. Mrs. Gnil got access to the NSSF and if she falls sick now, she can consult a doctor and obtain her medicines for free, so she can save money for her family. When she gave childbirth, she also received financial support from the NSSF for several months.

In the companies where there is a union, it is possible to get access to the NSSF and to save on health spending, because expenses due to sickness or a work accident are covered by the social security.

Some results by intervention strategy...

Social security: 

1.100 union leaders and workers, of which 30% women and 35% younger than 35 years, were reached through actions focusing on giving better access to social security, through awareness raising initiatives, basic and advanced training, legal assistance and support, research and advocacy to decision makers. For many workers it is not easy to join the trainings because during the day the workers need to focus on their work, as they don’t want their salary to be cut or to be dismissed.

CLC had a chance to lobby, advocacy and bring up workers’ problems with the quality of the NSSF services, as its president is sitting in the board of the NSSF.  Within CLC a committee was established in 2022 for Examining, Monitoring and Evaluating the Implementation of Social Security Scheme. One result of its actions is that from 1st October on the new pension scheme is being implemented and that in the agricultural sector an additional 500 members have registered in the NSSF.

Cambodia - COVID-19: Garment orders cancelled and factories closed

Kong Athit

On the 25th of March the Cambodian Prime Minister announced that Cambodia enters a state of emergency. So far, there are no official cases in the garment sector, but there are also no tests done. According to Kong Athit, Vice President of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union (CCAWDU), brands like Indytex and C&A are discontinuing their orders and not even collecting their produced orders. All the unions therefore have a public statement towards the government and will write a letter to the Brands, in which they request them to contribute to a suspension fund.

The garment sector is different than other sectors in Cambodia, since they will face massive suspension due to the drop of orders from the EU and the USA. That’s why IndustriALL is working on a global strategy between brands and suppliers, with 3 points in particular:

• Ask brands to pay for completed orders;
• Establish an emergency relief fund by the brands;
• Urge the Cambodian government to strengthen the social protection system to support the garment workers.

Moreover, the lock-down is unclear for other sectors in Cambodia. Beginning of April, 91 garment factories closed, meaning that there are over 3.000 workers without income. More than 400 hotels closed and some hotels are paying 50% salaries to the workers, but in most hotels without unions, the workers just have to take unpaid leave. Also in the construction sector, there’s little specific information on the lock-down. Cement factories are still working for example and no measures are announced. Therefore, BWTUC wrote a letter to the Government requesting similar measures as for the garment sector workers.

The next challenge will be lack of food and money to pay rent. “Unions will need support for awareness and Protective Personal Equipment materials. Union must use this opportunity to organise and to support the workers. Even if we lose members, we need to show that the unions are looking out for them”, said Athit. They will increase their communication with members in suspended companies and monitor the situation. There’s also a need for a national dialogue on the contributions from employers, government and brands according to Athit.

For its 100 year anniversary, the ILO marks the occasion with the adoption of Convention 190 on violence at work!

The Commission of Norms of the International Labor Organization (ILO) adopted on Monday, June 17, 2019 the Convention 190 aimed at eradicating violence and harassment in the world of work. Noticeably affecting all types of work all over the world, this binding instrument will now have to be ratified by the member states of the organization.

In 2018, the International Labor Organization (ILO), alerted to the catastrophic consequences of violence and harassment in the world of work, launched a normative process to develop a binding international standard to combat this unacceptable problem. After two intense working sessions organized during the International Labor Conference in June 2018 and 2019, the work has just ended this Monday, June 17, to the applause of the 500 people composing the Standards Committee, exhausted by two weeks of hard work which often continued till late.

Cambodia: EU mission assesses human rights and labour situation

European Commission - Press release

A delegation of the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) visited Cambodia from 5 to 11 July 2018 to evaluate the situation on the ground following recent worrying human rights and labour rights developments in the country.

The European Union will now analyse as a matter of priority the information gathered during the mission to consider further steps. This analysis will also take into account further written submissions from the Cambodian authorities, reports of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other bodies responsible for monitoring the implementation by Cambodia of the international conventions relevant to the EU duty-free trade scheme Everything But Arms (EBA). The EBA trade scheme allows Cambodia to export all products (except arms and ammunition) into the EU, free of quotas and tariffs.

Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström said: "The EU is proud to provide the most economically vulnerable countries of the world with free access to our market. The Everything But Arms initiative has had a significant impact on development and poverty eradication in Cambodia. Nevertheless, the recent worrying developments in the country have called for a closer assessment of whether Cambodia is fulfilling its commitments. The discussions and information gathering during our EU mission have focused on the serious decline in the area of political and electoral rights, as well as a curbing of civil society activities. There are also deficiencies when it comes to land dispute resolution mechanisms, and serious threats to freedom of association and collective bargaining rights. In the trade policy of the European Union, social justice is a vital aspect, including the respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and labour standards. Following the fact-finding mission, we will now analyse the facts in detail, and consider further steps. Removing Cambodia from the trade scheme is a measure of last resort, if all our other efforts have failed to address these concerns."

The EU delegation met with several members of the Cambodian government, as well as trade unions, civil society, businesses, and the United Nations (UN) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) representatives in the country.  

Trade unions as actors for development

Over 15 representatives of Asian trade unions (of which GEFONT, NTUC, CLC and KSBSI) as well as solidarity support organisations (SSOs), of which WSM and IIWE, met in Bangkok, Thailand on 19-20 June 2018 to review, strengthen and coordinate international cooperation initiatives.

Trade unions across the world are involved in international cooperation initiatives. The TUDCN Partnerships work provides a platform for them to share best practice, coordinate their work and construct common tools to strengthen the effectiveness of this work. The TUDCN is undertaking a series of regional meetings to increase the inter-regional coordination of this work.