NagaWorld workers demand government intervention in labour dispute

About 100 NagaWorld workers have sent a petition to the government asking it to intervene in a conflict that started in December last year.

Cambodia.- The conflict between NagaWorld and its workers continues. More than 6 months after the conflict began in December 2021, about 100 NagaWorld workers have written to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Hun Sen and to the National Assembly to request their intervention in the dispute.

Workers have asked the government to intervene and ensure that close to 200 dismissed workers are reinstated. They also want NagaWorld to pay compensation to those who are willing to accept dismissal and for legal charges against 15 union leaders and activists to be dropped.

According to The Phnom Penh Post, Chhim Sithar, head of the Labour Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees at NagaWorld (LRSU), said: “We think this is the appropriate time for Prime Minister Hun Sen to help resolve the problem because it appears that all other institutions are biased towards employers. 

“No institution other than the prime minister can intercede and solve this matter.”

However, the Ministry of Labor has mediated 13 times already in an attempt to reach a solution and has been unsuccessful. In May, a petition had been submitted to the interior and women’s ministries during a break in protests, which were suspended to allow for negotiations.

NagaWorld employees went on strike on December 18, 2021, to protest against layoffs and pay cuts, which NagaCorp said were necessary to improve cost efficiencies due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Labor Department, 199 of the initial 373 strikers agreed to accept severance pay from NagaWorld. 174 workers, however, refuse compensation. There have been several cases of workers being arrested and claiming mistreatment.