"City Hall, Trash Collectors Reach Agreement Over Labor Benefits", 7 October 2020

Trash collection workers are expected to return to work after reaching an agreement with City Hall, which guaranteed that workers would get mandatory labor benefits if their contracts were terminated by waste management firm Cintri Cambodia.

Trash has piled up on Phnom Penh’s streets after workers at waste management firm Cintri Cambodia and City Hall were unable to reach an agreement over labor benefits, as the capital looks to restructure its garbage collection system.

Some 2,150 workers of Cintri Cambodia, a monopolistic waste collection service, went on strike …, demanding that the company, which is facing overhauls due to poor service, pay them benefit packages before making any transition.

A statement released by City Hall and signed by Governor Khuong Sreng states that the municipal administration, worker representatives, and union members had reached an agreement that would see trash collection workers receive all benefits guaranteed to them under the Labor Law if they were terminated from service.

… Chhun Navann, a 62-year-old waste worker, said she had been informed of the agreement, but wasn’t sure if she would return to work in time for her … shift.

… Kao Sokvath, a unionist assisting the striking workers, said the workers had been kept in the dark about the bidding process, which is supposed to start …, and that the strike was justified.

“I find nothing illegal here with the strike,” Kao Sokvath said. “The procurement is set to take place and they have kept the information about the bidding for months.”…