"Labour reviewing short-term contracts", 15 May 2018

The Ministry of Labour is reviewing the laws governing short-term contracts with a view to improve terms and conditions and reduce worker exploitation.

...[S]hort-term contracts fail to benefit Cambodian workers who are deprived of job security and proper benefits when their employment is terminated.

...CUMW president Pav Sina said short-term contracts are usually for a duration of three months, but six-month contracts are becoming more common.

..."However, employers themselves use three months as the norm for short-term contracts....

...Sina said short-term contracts significantly impact workers' rights to the extent that they are even unable to form unions or join existing ones to represent their interests and concerns.

"Factory owners, for instance, exploit loopholes governing short-term contracts to dismiss workers..." he said.

Sina said workers...who got pregnant during their employment have had their contracts terminated as well.

"...[S]hort-term contract workers...are just given very low compensation..." he said.

..."The fact is, it is more difficult to terminate permanent workers or someone with a long-term contract. So to get around such difficulties, short-term contracts are the preferred choice of employment," he said.

...[P]ermanent workers and those on long-term contracts will have to be paid higher compensation.