Unions Slam Rainsy’s EU Plan

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy has been in hot water since he told an EU parliamentary meeting on July 13 that he wanted them to consider decreasing garment imports from Cambodia in the hope it would pressure Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government into complying with international human rights standards. Specifically, Mr. Rainsy said he wanted the EU to cut off all of its garment imports and then renegotiate with Cambodia to restart the garment industry, with additional conditions on human rights and freedoms attached to the agreement.

He tried to head off criticism of the idea by saying it would not affect garment workers and would only be directed at factory owners and businessmen, who he said were making money off the backs of workers. But the idea has not been received kindly in Cambodia, with a number of unions and workers acknowledging and understanding the thought behind the idea, but criticizing the idea itself, saying it did not take into account the devastating effects it would have on the Cambodian economy and the lives of average garment workers.

Sothea, a garment worker at Chung Fai Knitwear FTY in Kandal’s Takhmao city, who was protesting after the owner of her factory fled the country, told Khmer Times yesterday the idea was unacceptable. “If other countries stopped purchasing clothes here, it would affect workers the most. We are already facing difficulties because the manager shut down the company without providing any compensation to us,” she said.

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