Illustrative photo. (Source: qz.com)Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia’s Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT) is conducting a survey on garment workers’ living conditions and the impact of COVID-19 on them until July 31, local Khmer Times reported.
According to an announcement, MLVT has informed all owners or directors of enterprises and workers in the textile, garment and footwear sector and relevant authorities that the survey by the National Council on the Minimum Wage has been conducted on a random sample of employees selected in Phnom Penh and provinces.
When asked what he purpose of the survey is and what will be the government’s measures to further assist laid-off workers due to COVID-19, Labour Ministry spokesman Heng Sour declined to comment, saying that the survey is the ministry’s internal work conducted annually to submit to the National Council on the Minimum Wage.
According to figures from the MLVT, more than 410 factories have been suspended in Cambodia, affecting 240,000 workers.
Prime Minister Hun Sen announced in early July that 70,000 laid-off workers received monthly wage assistance from the government of 40 USD per person.
Losing a job means no revenue and 90 percent of workers have loan from banks, microfinance institutions or rural creditors, said Ath Thorn, president of workers union of the Cambodia Labour Confederation (CLC).
Thorn said so far buyers are still not placing new orders and the situation currently is still bad for the garment sector.
Another concern is that when the situation returns to normal and garment and textile suppliers in the world release their products to the market, Cambodia will face tough competition because the country will lose 20 percent of the Everything but Arms (EBA) trade tariff with the European Union (EU), he added./.
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