CAMBODIA: UNIONIZATION EFFORTS STALL IN CASINO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 000602 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB PGOV ECON PREL CB TH SUBJECT: CAMBODIA: UNIONIZATION EFFORTS STALL IN CASINO BOOM TOWN ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Unionization efforts at a Thai-owned casino on the Cambodian-Thai border were met with alleged management intimidation and firing of union leaders. Management objected to an arbitral award calling on them to re-instate 11 of the 20 terminated workers, has refused to implement the ruling, and declined further negotiations with the union. Union leaders, who earlier had been committed to leading a strike, now worry that housing difficulties, lack of local support, and the potential for violence could preclude a strike. The Thai Embassy has agreed to encourage the Thai casino owner to negotiate with the union. The union's problems in organizing workers in the gaming industry--a logical next step for unionization efforts--highlight the challenges confronting the labor movement as it tries to expand beyond its garment and hotel sector base in Cambodia's largely informal economy. END SUMMARY. Unions Allege Management Intimidation -------------- ¶2. (U) The Cambodian Tourism and Service Worker's Federation (CTSWF),one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing unions in the country, began attempts to organize casinos in the Cambodian-Thai border town of Poipet in January 2005. Working closely with the American Center for International Labor Solidarity (ACILS),CTSWF organizers traveled frequently to Poipet and met with workers from each casino. Grand Diamond City Casino workers demonstrated the most enthusiasm for unionization. ¶3. (U) Despite urging from ACILS to wait until the union at Grand Diamond City was stronger and unions could be established simultaneously at other casinos, the CTSWF went ahead with local union elections on Nov. 15, 2005. Despite having 500 dues-paying members, only 185 members voted due to alleged management intimidation. In the two weeks following the election, the president, vice-president, treasurer, and advisor to the union were all fired without explanation. Following union-management negotiations, the vice-president, treasurer, and advisor were re-hired. ¶4. (U) In early December, management asked its 1,082 Cambodian workers to fill out a survey asking whether they supported the creation of a union. When more than 700 workers responded with support for the union, management reportedly pressured workers to change their answers. In late December and early January, 20 workers who refused to change their responses were terminated. In early February, Grand Diamond Manager Jeelaphorn Khanaknith told EconOff that the employees had been terminated because management had lost confidence in them. Unlike the garment sector, casino employees handle thousands of dollars each day, and trust is critical. She noted that the casino had offered them severance pay, but they refused to accept it. Former Governor Unsympathetic to Union Efforts -------------- - ¶5. (U) Former Banteay Meanchey province governor Gen. Heng Chantha (FUNCINPEC) was unsympathetic to unionization efforts at the casino, telling EconOff in February, "In the past, labor disputes occurred only at garment factories (which are located in other provinces),now this disease has spread to our province." He described the dispute as "just a misunderstanding" and chided the union for not asking the provincial government to assist in getting management to accept a union presence. Working conditions in casinos are better than those in the garment factories in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, he said. And casino workers are the privileged few when compared to the thousands of residents of Poipet who are homeless or living far below the poverty line. (Note: Gen. Chantha was one of three FUNCINPEC governors removed from their posts last week as part of CPP's political infighting with FUNCINPEC. CTSWF President Ly Korm intends to contact the new governor, Onn Sum (CPP),in the next few days. End Note.) Arbitration Proceeds, but Award is Rejected -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Under Cambodian labor law, labor disputes that cannot be successfully conciliated by the Ministry of Labor are sent to the Arbitration Council, a uniquely transparent dispute resolution body founded with US support. Participation in the arbitration process is mandatory, but either party can object to an award, making the award itself non-binding. Most arbitration cases have dealt with garment or hotel sector disputes in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and the Arbitration Council is now well accepted in these two PHNOM PENH 00000602 002 OF 002 industries and geographic areas. In many other industries and cities, few employers are familiar with the arbitration process and may fear participating in a judicial proceeding whose outcome they cannot control. Arbitration Council Foundation staff worried that as a foreign owner operating far outside the usual geographic and sectoral scope of the Arbitration Council's cases, Thai casino owner Phunphorn Asawahem might refuse to participate in arbitration. In such a case, the government would be unlikely to intervene against a powerful tycoon, setting the damaging precedent that arbitration proceedings can simply be ignored. (Note: Phunphorn Asawahem is reportedly the son of former Thai Minister of the Interior Watana Asawahem. End Note.) ¶7. (U) Econoff and Labor Assistant visited Poipet in early February to meet with union leaders and casino management, and to encourage both sides to refrain from any industrial action until after arbitration, and to participate in the arbitration process. Both the union and the casino participated in arbitration hearings, which were held February 8 and 28. The arbitral award issued on March 9 called for the reinstatement of 11 of the 20 terminated workers, finding that workers who claimed to be union members but had not voted in union elections in November were not covered by laws protecting workers from anti-union discrimination. Casino management objected to the award on March 16, and so far has refused to negotiate further with the union. Violence, Housing Fears Make Strike Less Palatable -------------- -------------- ¶8. (U) Despite strong support for a strike in December and January, now that union members are taking a closer look at the logistics of a strike, some members are losing interest while a fervent core continues to urge industrial action. As part of their employment contract, the casino provides dormitory-style accommodation for most of its workers. If the workers go on strike, they will need to find new places to stay. Most workers are migrants from other regions of Cambodia and do not have relatives in the area who could offer them accommodation. There are not enough low-priced hotel rooms in Poipet to house striking workers, and CTSWF leaders report that traveling to and from Poipet and participating in the arbitration process exhausted most of the funds they saved to support a strike. Moreover, local residents--many of whom live below Cambodia's poverty line--are unlikely to be sympathetic toward striking workers, whom they may regard as well-paid whiners. CTSWF leaders also worry about the potential for strike-related violence, particularly as police in Poipet are unaccustomed to dealing with striking workers. Thai Embassy: What Labor Dispute? -------------- ¶9. (SBU) In a meeting March 27, Thai Political Officer Songchai Chaipatiyut told Econoff and Labor Assistant that he was unaware of the labor dispute or unionization efforts in Poipet, and explained that the Thai government does not support Thai-owned casinos in Cambodia due to concerns about money laundering and other crimes, and tries to keep its distance from the casinos. However, he was receptive to our concerns about the potential for violence and the potential economic impact of a strike. He agreed to encourage the casino to negotiate with the union and, above all, to avoid violence. ¶10. (U) COMMENT. The Cambodian labor movement, which started in the garment sector and was given a huge boost by the labor provisions of the US-Cambodia Bilateral Textile Agreement, has slowly moved into other sectors of Cambodia's small formal economy, most notably luxury hotels and schools. Outside of these sectors, and outside of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, few of Cambodia's workers are organized. CTSWF's effort to expand the reach of organized labor to casinos in the busy and fast-growing border town of Poipet is an important and logical next step. However, if the reaction of Grand Diamond City owner Phunphorn Asawahem is any indication, casinos are unlikely to accept unionization without resistance. Whereas hotel and garment sector unionization efforts benefited greatly from international attention and a boycott of hotels involved in labor disputes, casino unions are unlikely to find such support from international activists, the predominately Thai casino patrons, or their neighbors in Poipet. The Cambodian labor movement has already grabbed the "low hanging fruit;" future unionization efforts will be more difficult. END COMMENT. Mussomeli