Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Heng Sour has called on Cambodians working in South Korea to strive to learn skills from their new workplaces that they will be able to utilise when they return to Cambodia.
Sour made the call while attending a March 9 solidarity meal with more than 250 Cambodian nationals who are living, working and studying in South Korea.
“I would like to appeal to all of you to respect the law, take care of your health, work hard to learn vocational skills and return home after your contracts end. You must be united, support each other and maintain good relations with all Koreans and Cambodians,” he said via social media.
Ministry spokesperson Katta Orn reminded those who are working in South Korea to respect Korean laws and regulations, and take care to adapt to life and work in the Korean culture.
“I urge all migrant workers to preserve Khmer traditions and share them, while maintaining social harmony and solidarity. You should all help to support one another, but if necessary, contact your labour agency or the Cambodian embassy in Seoul,” he said on March 11.
Fa Saly, president of the National Trade Union Confederation, echoed the calls, noting that Cambodian migrant workers should maintain their dignity and not create conflicts. He also warned them against falling under any form of political influence.
“Please, make sure you get regular health checkups, and pay close attention to learning skills that will benefit the national economy when you return home,” he said.
Yong Kim Eng, president of the People Centre for Development and Peace, noted that in the past, some of the skills that workers obtained in Korea were unsuitable for use in the Kingdom, as they were often specialised manufacturing jobs, which relied on expensive equipment.
He hopes that this would change, and that more migrant workers will return with skills that will help to develop Cambodia.
Kim Eng suggested that migrants pay attention to additional short-term training courses to develop their skills.
Hear Meng, who specialises in part of the meat processing process in Korea, said he worked in a factory there for seven years. While voicing support for the minister’s remarks, he is concerned that the specific skills he has acquired cannot be used in the Kingdom as there are no comparable factories here.
“While I cannot use my factory skills, some of the other things I have learned can be used in Cambodia. I could open a Korean language school, or teach individual classes. I also learned to bake bread, cakes and dumplings, and know a little bit about repairing computers,” he said.
According to Orn, as of end-February, there were 50,970 workers living and working in Korea, 12,538 of them women.