Labour minister Ith Samheng visits migrant workers during the Khmer New Year holiday in Thailand in April. LABOUR MINISTRY
The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training said that from May 9 onward, they will begin renewing Overseas Cambodian Worker Cards (OCWC) and Cambodian Travel documents for working overseas (TD) for Cambodians who are living and working in Thailand.
Labour minister Ith Samheng – also chairman of the Committee for Legalising Cambodian Workers – said those Cambodian nationals whose OCWC or TD have expired or have less than six months validity remaining should apply for their renewal through the automated system of the Employment Department under the Thai Ministry of Labour, through cambodia-doe.com.
In a letter posted to social media last weekend, Samheng said applications for renewal require a number of documents to be uploaded to the system. These include scans of a 6x4 photograph and the expired or soon-to-expire OCWC or TD. Original documents must also be supplied to officials at the Thai ministry’s Employment Department located on Mitmaitri Road in Bangkok’s Dindaeng district.
The department will send the details of the application for renewal to the OCWC and TD database of the legalisation committee. Applicants must provide original OCWC and TD documents to the representative office of the Cambodian Labour Attorney, located in Thailand’s Employment Department, for forwarding to the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok.
Samheng added that the committee and the embassy will cooperate with the Thai departments to distribute OCWC and TD documents to Cambodian workers in Thailand.
Applications and renewals of OCWC and TD should take just five working days, provided all required documents are submitted. The cost is 1,400 Thai baht ($40.50) per worker.
“Cambodian workers or employers can collect the validated documents by appointment at the Office of the Representative of the Cambodian labour ministry, located in the Thai labour ministry’s Employment Department,” he said.
Kim Seng, director of SKMM Investment, which brings Cambodian workers to Thailand, said on May 8 that the labour ministry has helped a lot of workers, including by providing visas and by helping them renew their workers’ permits and travel documents in Thailand.
He added that this facilitation is extremely practical for workers, as they do not have to spend time returning to Cambodia. They simply fill out the application form and hand original documents to the representative office in Thailand.
Chhum Pisey, director of recruiting firm CPS Best Team Services, said on May 8 that the improved management of the Covid-19 situation had made it possible for workers to look for work in Thailand again. His firm intended to recruit more workers, in accordance with the law and with the memorandum of understanding between the two countries.
“They have relaxed their policies, so there is no longer the need to spend a lot of money quarantining. They have also reduced the amount of documentation that is required. It is almost as straight forward of a process as it was before the pandemic,” he said.
