Cambodia has been updating the labour legal framework and stepping up law enforcement to ensure better working conditions as well as harmony in professional relationships, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Ith Samheng said on February 16.
Samheng made the remarks at a meeting with ambassadors from four Nordic countries – Sweden’s Jon Astrom Grondahl, Norway’s Astrid Emilie Helle, Denmark’s Jon Thorgaard and Finland’s Jyri Jarviaho, the labour ministry said in a statement.
The minister brought up the Kingdom’s efforts to optimise implementation of the Law on Trade Unions, which he described as a manifestation of workers’ and employers’ “real voices and convictions” concerning the protection of their legal rights and interests, as “effective” social dialogue partners under the premises set out by the Global Deal Initiative, the statement noted.
He said that the Kingdom has stuck to tripartite negotiation mechanisms – those involving representatives of the government, employers and workers – to successfully resolve pertinent issues.
Samheng shared that work remains ongoing to beef up the Arbitrary Council’s mechanisms, which he said are key to building trust and confidence among investors in Cambodia.
The four ambassadors voiced appreciation for the ministry’s increased attention to improving social dialogue, civil liberties and labour rights; reducing disputes; and establishing clear tripartite mechanisms to resolve issues in an independent and transparent manner, according to the statement.
All parties will work together to improve labour market services as well as professionalism and skills development, promote rights and freedoms, and combat human trafficking to assure investors and consumers of Cambodian products that the Kingdom complies with international standards, and thereby gain their trust, it added.
