“Factsheet on union-busting at CIK Cambodia Co., Ltd.”, 3 September 2025

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​CIK Cambodia Co., Ltd. is garment manufacturing and export factory that received its Certificate of Business Registration in August 26, 2011. As of 2017 (the time the union-busting took place), the company employed about 239 workers. It is located on National Road 4, Ang Village, Sangkat Chom Chao, Khan Dangkor 12405, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The director of the company at the time was a Mr. Lee Homyeong.

The union was formed in response to the company's practice of firing women workers when they became pregnant. One of the supervisors, Ms. So Chanthea, could not tolerate this issue and decided to start a union. The workers received external support from the husband of one of the union founders who was a C.CAWDU (the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Unions; a garment worker federation) union leader at another factory, he encouraged his partner and her co-workers to establish the union, assuring them that the federation would help them if issues arose. After three of the founding members (Ms. So Chanthea, Ms. Tep Srey Noeun and Ms. Keut Sokny) were dismissed, C.CAWDU provided legal support on the case, but since 2023, CENTRAL (the Center for Alliance for Labor and Human Rights) has been working on this case.

Compliance data for the factory can be found in the Better Factories Cambodia Transparency Database. Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) is the flagship program of the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Better Work initiative, known for conducting credible and comprehensive audits in the Cambodian garment industry. Its assessments are widely recognized for promoting compliance with international labor standards and fostering improvements in working conditions. Significantly, the June 2018 factory assessment recorded a lack of compliance for workers being able to join and form unions freely, and the termination of pregnant workers.

Brands that CIK produced for include DAIZ, Bonafit and Guess.

…As it is a new factory, Mix & Match is not listed in Better Factory Cambodia’s Transparency database (factories are required to have undergone at least a few assessments before their compliance data is publicly available). There is little information available on the factory, as yet, and it may also be a subcontractor.

Demands

Reinstate the 3 workers at the new factory, ensuring full back pay (including wages and benefits) from the date of dismissal to the date of reinstatement, maintaining their previous positions.

Recognise workers’ right to organise and to form an independent union. Cease any further discrimination against union leaders and founding members, as well as any obstruction to union registration so that trade union leaders and activists can conduct legitimate union activities and represent workers’ interests at the factory.