Eighteen global brands urged the Cambodian government to immediately cancel its audit and withdraw the criminal charges against Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL) program manager Khun Tharo, and ensure respect for civil society organizations.
The brands, part of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), jointly issued a statement on September 10, 2024 to voice their concern over the “timing of the Interior Ministry’s investigation” into CENTRAL following their Barriers to Representation: Freedom of Association (FOA) in Cambodia report in June this year.
CENTRAL’s report was an assessment of Better Factories Cambodia’s (BFC) FOA compliance monitoring. BFC is a joint program under the United Nations’ International Labour Organisation and the International Finance Corporation. It assesses working conditions in 703 factories in Cambodia, the report said.
On June 14, about 70 union federations and unions protested against CENTRAL in Phnom Penh for publishing a report which they said “restricted union representatives’ freedom of association”.
Two weeks after that, the ministry ordered CENTRAL to disclose details of its bank account within 30 days of their notice dated June 28, failing which they could be subjected to legal action for non-compliance.
On July 15, the ministry requested the National Audit Authority to audit the organization following the report.
The global brands, including Adidas, Puma, ASICS, Levi’s, Gap and New Balance, said the ministry’s investigation and request for bank account details were a reaction to CENTRAL’s report.
“As global brands sourcing from Cambodia, we respectfully urge the Cambodian government in the strongest possible terms to immediately cancel the audit of CENTRAL and refrain from taking any measures that could be perceived as restricting civil society space or freedom of speech.”
“We also urge the immediate dismissal of the criminal complaint against Khun Tharo,” the global brands said in their statement.
The AAFA represents more than 1,000 “world famous” brand names, and are the “trusted public policy and political voice” of the industry. Their members employ more than 3.2 million American workers, and contribute over $490 billion in annual retail sales in the US.
The global brands highlighted that a vibrant civil society was “guaranteed in part by freedom of speech”. This was a key factor which made Cambodia “an important sourcing partner for the apparel and footwear industry”.
The latest AAFA statement follows an earlier call made with the Fair Labor Association on July 12 this year to demand the government to cancel the audit on CENTRAL.
The government should refrain from taking any measures that “might be and will be perceived as intimidation and harassment” of CENTRAL or any other non-governmental organizations.
“With the name Cambodia increasingly printed on our member brands’ products, your actions immediately impact our member brands’ values, reputations and legal obligations,” the July statement read.
Both ministry spokespersons, Touch Sokhak and Phath Sophanith, could not be reached for comment.
Confederation Union of Cambodia Bright Workers general secretary Sea Kunthea told CamboJA News that the calls by the international brands were “irrelevant” to the legal action against CENTRAL.
She considered it an “interference in Cambodia’s affairs”, stressing that the action against CENTRAL was based on the law.
“CENTRAL’s [work] transcends their boundaries and interferes with unions. Other organizations [sued CENTRAL] due to their transgression,” she said. In light of interventions by overseas organizations on CENTRAL, she felt that this should not be allowed.
She also questioned why overseas organizations “promoted, protected and cared about CENTRAL”.
Kunthea said she has been to Myanmar and Bangladesh, and learnt that they “did not possess any right to form comprehensive unions like in Cambodia”.
“We look at how many factories there are in Cambodia and how many unions were established. In one factory, there can be three to 10 unions, this is the freedom we see,” Kunthea said.
CENTRAL program manager Khun Tharo told CamboJA News that the joint statement by 18 international buyers account for Cambodia’s largest market share to the United States and European Union, worth nearly $10 billion in exports per annum.
The statement was an expression of social responsibility to show respect for human and labor rights in Cambodia, especially the fundamental freedom of expression without intimidation, which is guaranteed by the constitution, he said.
These rights were also a core international convention which are integral for Cambodia to promote trade, market competition and ensure commitment to market openness within the framework of free markets and compliance with the rule of law.
“I hope that the authorities will consider these proposals and comments to ensure Cambodia’s competitiveness in the international arena, and that views and civil society play a vital role in contributing to the government, improving governance, human and labor rights, and the rule of law,” said Tharo.
On June 27, 2024, 44 local organizations, including Licadho, issued a joint statement to “disagree” with public calls for investigation by the ministry into the finances and operation of CENTRAL.
The organizations said CENTRAL’s report urged BFC to make their reports more accessible to unions and workers, and to create a grievance mechanism for inaccuracies in the program’s assessment reports.
“The report’s recommendations aim at centering workers in the assessment of an exporting factory, under the remit of BFC.
“Any organization, worker or union is free to disagree with the findings of the CENTRAL report. But using administrative measures to penalize the labor rights group’s work is a violation of freedom of expression,” they added.
(Additional reporting by Pou Soreachny)
