Khmer Times/Mom Kunthear Friday, 29 July 2016
An independent trade union has asked Labor Minister Ith Samheng to investigate claims by two pro-government activists that they are officially registered union representatives.
Mann Seng Hak, vice-president of the Free Trade Union (FTU), said yesterday he sent a letter to Mr. Samheng on Wednesday about Srey Chamroeun – a student group representative best known for badgering opposition acting leader Kem Sokha during an ongoing sex scandal – and former opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) activist Thy Sovantha, who has filed defamation charges against Mr. Sokha in connection with the scandal.
The two were most recently in the news for organizing a protest on Sunday against CNRP president Sam Rainsy’s suggestion to the European Union that Cambodian garment imports should be used as a bargaining chip for human rights in the country.
Last week they claimed to be union representatives of 110,000 workers in 10 factories and said they would lead a demonstration in favor of annulling the CNRP if the EU cuts garment imports from Cambodia.
In his letter, Mr. Seng Hak sought to verify the validity of Mr. Chamroeun and Ms. Sovantha’s union representation claims.
“We sent a letter to the minister to check and take action on both of them. If they have registered [as union representatives], there will be no problem. But if they have not yet registered with the ministry, they are violating trade unions and the Labor Law, which must be punished,” Mr. Seng Hak said, adding that further discussions about the two self-described representatives would be held if the ministry showed itself to be inactive.
“I believe in the ministry on this case, but if they do not respond, I think the ministry is prejudiced in this case. So the ministry, who is the law enforcement, is going to make mistakes by themselves,” he said.
“The ministry cannot close its eyes and let people who do not have a clear role to protest in public.”
Labor Ministry spokesman Heng Sour said yesterday his ministry received the FTU’s letter, but that at first examination Mr. Chamroeun and Ms. Sovantha’s actions were not technically affiliated with a union, and so the two were not in violation of the Union Law. “The definition of union activities refers to the relationship between workers in an enterprise or a sector to an employer or employer’s association in the field,” Mr. Sour said.
“So what they did does not mean that they are union leaders of this union’s name or that union’s name. It means that they did not act as a union, but they just represent union leaders and support them to help only.”
He added that his ministry will continue to monitor Mr. Chamroeun and Ms. Sovantha and take administrative action if the two act illegally, saying in such a case Mr. Chamroeun and Ms. Sovantha would get warnings and fines.