Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Ith Samheng stated that Cambodia has continued its efforts to implement its labour law, which was adopted in 1997 and includes the contents of the 13 International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions that Cambodia has ratified, showing the commitment of the government to protecting the rights and interests of workers and employers.

Samheng made the remarks during his meeting with Alan Symonette, president of the US National Academy of Arbitrators (NAA), at the ministry headquarters in Phnom Penh last week.

According to the ministry, Symonette led a delegation to meet Samheng to discuss experiences in the field of out-of-court dispute resolution mechanisms in Cambodia.

Topics discussed included the Arbitration Council and the expansion of Arbitration Council services, dispute resolution procedures and the possibility of building cooperation and communication in partnership between the NAA and the labour ministry.

At the same time, Samheng also shared information on the development and progress of the labour sector in Cambodia, which has just started developing gradually in the industrial sector after the country achieved comprehensive peace and then signed a trade agreement linked to international labour standards with the US.

“In managing the labour sector, Cambodia has continued its efforts to implement the Labour Law adopted in 1997 and including the contents of the 13 ILO conventions that the country has ratified, which included the eight core conventions too. It shows the high commitment of the government to protect the rights and interests of both workers and employers,” he said.

In the beginning, he said that Cambodia really faced serious challenges due to the lack of understanding of the labour law, leading to challenges in professional relationships such as strikes, protests and workers demanding unnegotiated rights and benefits in some factories, according to Samheng.

“However, through the strengthening of the implementation of the labour law and the introduction of new laws and regulations, the establishment of a tripartite social dialogue mechanism as well as strengthening of the capacity of labour inspectors, labour dispute mediation officials brought about a decrease in labour disputes and the number of strikes and demonstration have decreased dramatically,” he said.

In 2004, the labour ministry established the Arbitration Council, an independent body to resolve labour disputes in a transparent manner. Samheng said Cambodia had amended the Labour Law to continue the work of resolving disputes on a larger scale, which now allows the Arbitration Council to resolve individual labour disputes.

The delegation from the NAA expressed appreciation for the rapid development of these changes and the Cambodian national economy.

Symonette also shared the experiences of the NAA, which has evolved ever since its inception in 1940 and now has about 600 members. It is recognised as an independent body to resolve out-of-court disputes in the US and Canada which has gained the trust of workers and employers.

Symonette cited as success factors the ability to maintain confidentiality from all stakeholders and the effectiveness and transparency of his institution. He also promised to continue working with Cambodia’s Arbitration Council and look into further cooperation with the National Institute of Labour, as the NAA has highly experienced officials who could share knowledge on many related subjects.