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Tensions appear to be rising in Cambodia over a five-year-old programme to improve working conditions in garment factories.
The Better Factories Cambodia programme run by the International Labour Organization has widely been seen as one of the more successful ethical supply chain management efforts of recent years, attracting support from all sections of civil society. However, signs are emerging that the Cambodian government is becoming unhappy about its influence.
Prime minister Hun Sen recently attacked the ILO for giving a poor impression of working standards in Cambodia and accused the organization of misrepresenting conditions. He even suggested that the programme’s auditors may be asking factory owners for money in exchange for favourable statements on their working practices.
Hun Sen’s comments echo recent suggestions from the Ethical Trading Initiative, a UK-based alliance of companies, non-governmental organizations and trade unions, that the quality of some audits is questionable and that ‘audit fraud’ on occasion occurs (see analysis). The ILO said it was ‘seeking clarification’ from the government but rejected suggestions of impropriety. ‘We deeply regret that any doubt has been cast on the work of the ILO in Cambodia or the probity of its programme staff,’ said executive director Kari Tapiola. ‘To date the ILO has received no reports or complaints of the kind mentioned. On the contrary, the programme has built a reputation for independence and solid reporting.’
The Cambodian government is a partner in the Better Factories programme and its continued support is important to the ILO. The programme began in 2001 with funding and support from the government, the Garment Manufacturers’ Association in Cambodia, trade unions and international buyers such as Adidas, Gap, H&M, Levi Strauss, Nike and Reebok.
The ILO said its work in Cambodia had hitherto ‘been taking place in a harmonious climate’ and hoped this could continue.
There have been concerns that growing industrial unrest in the Cambodian garment sector, which has led to violent clashes in recent months, could also hamper progress. Last year the ILO found that conditions in garment factories were generally improving, but not on overtime payment and freedom of association.
The Better Factories project grew out of a trade agreement under which the US gives Cambodia better access to its markets in exchange for improvements in working conditions in the garment sector. The US Department of Labor partly funds the programme, an important aspect of which is unannounced site inspections.
The monitors’ checklist, based on Cambodian labour law and ILO standards, comprises more than 500 items and involves separate, confidential interviews with workers and management. Interviews with workers usually take place off-site, and monitors – most of them Cambodian – also talk to union officials.
Cambodia’s garment industry has benefited from restrictions imposed by the European Union and the US on garment imports from China. It is now Cambodia’s largest exporter, generating $2.2billion (£1.31bn) in revenues annually and employing 320,000 workers in 286 factories.
The Better Factories Cambodia programme run by the International Labour Organization has widely been seen as one of the more successful ethical supply chain management efforts of recent years, attracting support from all sections of civil society. However, signs are emerging that the Cambodian government is becoming unhappy about its influence.
Prime minister Hun Sen recently attacked the ILO for giving a poor impression of working standards in Cambodia and accused the organization of misrepresenting conditions. He even suggested that the programme’s auditors may be asking factory owners for money in exchange for favourable statements on their working practices.
Hun Sen’s comments echo recent suggestions from the Ethical Trading Initiative, a UK-based alliance of companies, non-governmental organizations and trade unions, that the quality of some audits is questionable and that ‘audit fraud’ on occasion occurs (see analysis). The ILO said it was ‘seeking clarification’ from the government but rejected suggestions of impropriety. ‘We deeply regret that any doubt has been cast on the work of the ILO in Cambodia or the probity of its programme staff,’ said executive director Kari Tapiola. ‘To date the ILO has received no reports or complaints of the kind mentioned. On the contrary, the programme has built a reputation for independence and solid reporting.’
The Cambodian government is a partner in the Better Factories programme and its continued support is important to the ILO. The programme began in 2001 with funding and support from the government, the Garment Manufacturers’ Association in Cambodia, trade unions and international buyers such as Adidas, Gap, H&M, Levi Strauss, Nike and Reebok.
The ILO said its work in Cambodia had hitherto ‘been taking place in a harmonious climate’ and hoped this could continue.
There have been concerns that growing industrial unrest in the Cambodian garment sector, which has led to violent clashes in recent months, could also hamper progress. Last year the ILO found that conditions in garment factories were generally improving, but not on overtime payment and freedom of association.
The Better Factories project grew out of a trade agreement under which the US gives Cambodia better access to its markets in exchange for improvements in working conditions in the garment sector. The US Department of Labor partly funds the programme, an important aspect of which is unannounced site inspections.
The monitors’ checklist, based on Cambodian labour law and ILO standards, comprises more than 500 items and involves separate, confidential interviews with workers and management. Interviews with workers usually take place off-site, and monitors – most of them Cambodian – also talk to union officials.
Cambodia’s garment industry has benefited from restrictions imposed by the European Union and the US on garment imports from China. It is now Cambodia’s largest exporter, generating $2.2billion (£1.31bn) in revenues annually and employing 320,000 workers in 286 factories.
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