Cambodia: Demonstrations continue five years after mass layoff of casino workers, allegedly for forming an independent union
“Five Years After the NagaWorld Strike, the Workers Are Holding the Line”, 23 July 2026
When Cambodia’s largest casino fired 1,300 workers in 2021, it triggered a labour dispute that has since seen union leaders jailed and demonstrations forcibly dispersed. Five years on, the workers have not backed down…
The desire for an independent union was precisely what NagaWorld sought to extinguish, the workers say. The dismissals in April 2021, they argued, had nothing to do with the pandemic, they were designed to destroy their collective bargaining power. After negotiations failed, they launched a strike in December 2021. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court declared it illegal within days.
What followed was years of confrontation. The striking workers, mostly women, received no response from the Ministry of Labour or the Royal Government. Authorities dispersed demonstrations repeatedly. Workers were injured during some of those dispersals. One worker told ... she miscarried after police shoved her during a protest. The company filed complaints against thirteen union members, accusing them of breaking and entering while picketing outside the casino...
Following her release, Sithar and the remaining workers shifted from formal strike action to a sustained campaign of demonstrations and advocacy. Their core demands have not changed: reinstatement, union recognition, and compensation backdated to the start of the dispute...
Five years of negotiations have produced nothing. The union has attended more than thirty meetings with the Ministry of Labour and NagaWorld representatives. The company’s offer has not changed: selected workers may return, provided they accept a flat payout and drop the dispute entirely…
The stakes, the union argues, extend well beyond NagaWorld. If the company succeeds in dismantling an independent union without consequence, it sets a precedent every employer in Cambodia can follow…
Cambodia’s treatment of the case is being watched. The International Labour Organization is monitoring the dispute, and the country’s preferential trade arrangements with democratic partners could come under pressure if it remains unresolved, Sithar warned.
NagaWorld did not respond to requests for comment.