The Free Trade Union (FTU) requested that the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) permit workers nationwide to take a weeklong holiday in order to participate in the opposition’s planned demonstrations, according to a letter sent by the FTU this week.
Signed by union president Chea Mony, the letter sent to GMAC on Tuesday implored garment manufacturers to suspend production from September 15 to September 21. The CNRP three-day sit-in is scheduled for September 15, 16 and 17.
“In this case, the garment industry relies on workers who are voters and who generally like the CNRP as it has a policy that focuses on higher salaries in the future,” the letter says, adding that some workers fear for their safety due to the current political deadlock and want to return home.
“This situation has made most of the workers not want to go to work and some have been called home by their parents who are fearful of a war,” it says. “Some workers have also vowed to join the peaceful demonstrations for three days and nights with the CNRP.”
But Van Sou Ieng, GMAC’s chairman, said there was no indication there would be any instability in the country, and that the FTU’s request would negatively impact the industry’s production process.
“We cannot accept it because it is not a good reason and it is not fair. I don’t think that instability will happen in Cambodia,” Mr. Sou Ieng said.
While the CPP has declared a victory in the July 28 election, the CNRP is contesting these results, and the demonstrations were organized to call for an independent investigation into alleged fraud.
Ahead of last weekend’s demonstration, hundreds of soldiers and military police officers were deployed to checkpoints around the city, searching vehicles for weapons and explosives. The CNRP said the searches were a thinly veiled attempt to stop its supporters from attending Saturday’s demonstration.
FTU adviser Mann Senghak said workers are concerned about the increased security around Phnom Penh, as many people have been stopped on their way into the city.
“We are concerned about the security of garment workers in Cambodia,” he said.
