CLEC-Labour Program

CLEC's Labor Program Unit (LPU), formally known as the Workplace Relations Group, has worked on issues relating to Cambodian labor law and industrial relations since 2002. The LPU has as its overall objective that all employment sectors uphold a good working environment in which labor rights are respected, labor law obligations are complied with, and labor disputes are resolved peacefully and fairly.

Much of the LPU's current work involves the training of key stakeholders in Cambodia's employment sector, including unions members, management, government representatives, police forces, attorneys and judges. The LPU is also actively involved in the production and dissemination of numerous publications and training materials on labor rights, obligations, and other labor related issues.

Through its trainings to labor rights defenders and union leaders, the LPU aims to increase those individuals' capacity to promote the respect of workers rights, better compliance with the Labor Law, and improved workplace relations -- particularly through collective bargaining. The LPU also seeks to improve workers' knowledge of their rights and the regulatory framework governing those rights.

The LPU currently partners with the Labor Dispute Resolution Project of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and Better Factories Cambodia to develop and conduct training on labor issues, primarily in Cambodia's garment sector. As an indication of the strength and quality of its work, the LP has been awarded monitoring contracts with international companies, including Nike and Reebok. It has also worked closely with the ILO to establish and support the highly-respected Arbitration Council.