We thank the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) for tracking and publishing this case, and for providing a platform that allows civil society to press for accountability when legal remedies are ignored.

In 2017, three women union leaders at CIK Cambodia Co., Ltd., a South Korean–owned garment factory, were unlawfully dismissed for forming a union to protect pregnant workers from being fired. The Arbitration Council and the Phnom Penh Court of First Instance both ruled that the company must reinstate the workers with full back pay - decisions which are final and enforceable under Cambodian law.

Yet for eight years now, CIK and now its successor Mix & Match Garments Co., Ltd. have refused to comply. The new owner, who took over operations in 2021, was made fully aware of the case but offered only a token settlement before cutting off contact entirely.

Of the brands named, only Lotte/Bonafit has issued a public response, stating that CIK is a second-tier supplier and asserting no direct involvement. While we acknowledge the company’s stated willingness to engage, such engagement can only be considered meaningful if it is accompanied by a clear recognition of its human rights responsibilities under international standards and a transparent plan to support resolution.

DAIZ and GUESS have offered no response at all.

The continued non-compliance in this case reflects a flagrant violation of both Cambodian national law and international human rights standards stipulated by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the ILO Conventions on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize. Under the UNGPs, all companies, including those indirectly linked, must conduct ongoing due diligence and contribute to remediation where harm has occurred. This includes leveraging supplier relationships to ensure legal compliance and redress.

In this case, successive owners have failed to uphold business integrity by ignoring binding legal orders, exacerbating harm to the dismissed workers, who have remained blacklisted and denied justice for years. Their prolonged hardship stands as a stark reminder of the disconnect between brands’ ESG commitments and their actions on the ground.

We urge:

• Mix & Match Garments Co., Ltd. to immediately comply with Cambodian court orders

by reinstating the three dismissed workers and paying the full back wages owed.• All linked buyers, including Lotte/Bonafit, DAIZ, and GUESS, to issue public statements clarifying their sourcing relationships and to use their leverage to push for a full and fair resolution.

Endorsed by

Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL) – Cambodia

Federation Union of Free and Independent (FUFI) – Cambodia

Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS) – South Korea