15 Jan 2015

The Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) expresses its extreme disappointment with the conduct of American chemical giant, DuPont and its failure to regulate its supply chain in Cambodia. For years the company has been producing medical and industrial coveralls in several Cambodian garment factories. Despite DuPont’s CSR commitments to conduct business affairs to the highest ethical standards and in compliance with all applicable laws, DuPont suppliers have consistently engaged in union discrimination in violation of the Cambodian Labor Law. In the last two years, at least 115 union leaders and members have been terminated from DuPont suppliers in Cambodia. Further workers at peaceful strikes have been brutalized, including pregnant women. Again, this week DuPont supplier, Manhattan Textile managed by the Deputy Treasurer of the Garment Manufacturers’ Association of Cambodia refuses to reinstate union leaders after one year of arbitration. DuPont reported $7.5 billion in 2014 third quarter net revenue yet their Cambodian supply chain workers are denied their most basic right to freedom of association. Today workers at Manhattan Textile continue their strike calling for the company to respect binding arbitration awards issued nearly one year ago. Again there is a noticeable presence of military police at the factory. We call on DuPont’s local office, located in Phnom Penh, to finally intervene and demand reinstatement of the union leadership in line with its commitments to comply with local laws.