Workers’ representatives at Zhen Tai Garment Cambodia Co Ltd filed a complaint with Minister of Labor and Vocational Training Heng Sour after the Department of Labor Dispute rejected their requests for a resolution to their issues in the factory. The ministry said it will find a solution for them.
In early August, the ministry rejected all 13 requests made by the workers, which they said was unfair to them. They asked relevant parties to come up with a detailed solution to their case.
CamboJA News viewed the letter dated August 14, 2024, stating that the workers’ representatives filed a complaint with the ministry, urging minister Heng Sour to intervene to inspect the irregularities in the company.
They also urged for a speedy solution regarding the low contribution by Zhen Tai to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) from 2021 to November 2023. They requested a procedure to resolve their labor disputes in a collective manner.
In addition, the workers urged the company to stop discriminating against leaders, activists and members of the Cambodian Workers’ Spirit Union and make the company an enterprise with a peaceful community.
Seng Sopheap, 41, who has worked in Zhen Tai for 11 years, told CamboJA News that they went ahead with a complaint with the ministry as they want an intervention for a settlement of the 13 requests to be expedited, particularly the request for the full payment of the NSSF contribution.
“It’s unfair to me as a workers’ representative and we are discriminated against. I want Minister Heng Sour to help consider whether this [situation in the factory] is abnormal or not, and see if this is very unfair to us,” she said.
Kem Sophen, president of Cambodia Workers’ Spirit Union at the factory, told CamboJA News that so far there is no solution for the workers, particularly in relation to the social security benefits.
He said if the application submitted to the ministry by legal procedures does not result in a suitable solution, the workers’ representatives plan to take the issue up to the factory’s buyers. It is the last option to prompt the buyers to resolve this with the factory.
“I believe that the ministry leadership will have a solution for the workers and the unions because this is not a big issue. It’s about the workers’ benefits and their rights at the workplace,” Sophen added.
Meanwhile, Zhen Tai administrative director Bo Bunly told CamboJA News that he has not been informed yet that the workers have filed a complaint with the Labor Ministry. However, the factory had tried to solve all the requests submitted by the workers, he said.
“We also discussed finding solutions with the ministry. Whether the investigation continues or not […] because we objected to the workers’ requests due to doubts, so we leave it to the ministry to decide and resolve according to their procedures,” he said.
Ministry spokesperson Katta Orn told CamboJA News that the Zhen Tai case was not a problem for the workers but the problem was that the “union cannot get their salary”, so they filed a “series of lawsuits”.
He claimed that based on an inspection by the labor inspector of the factory, the company “did not violate any working conditions”.
Orn did not respond to a question as to how the ministry will resolve the low NSSF contribution by Zhen Tai, but said that there was a similar incident of reduced social security contributions by the company in the past.
The company was fined according to the law and it has been contributing the “right amount” for workers since June 2024.
“The ministry is always waiting to coordinate and resolve any problems or requests of the workers, as long as it is their demand,” he said, reminding unions to fulfill their duty professionally according to the law.
