Established by brands, promoted by the government: The rationale behind the Cambodian garment sector’s exploitative wage systems
1
Issued Date
2022-04-01
Resource Type
eISSN
24523151
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85130065395
Journal Title
Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences
Volume
43
Issue
2
Start Page
473
End Page
480
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences Vol.43 No.2 (2022) , 473-480
Suggested Citation
Cassinerio J.M. Established by brands, promoted by the government: The rationale behind the Cambodian garment sector’s exploitative wage systems. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences Vol.43 No.2 (2022) , 473-480. 480. doi:10.34044/j.kjss.2022.43.2.27 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/86995
Title
Established by brands, promoted by the government: The rationale behind the Cambodian garment sector’s exploitative wage systems
Author(s)
Author's Affiliation
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
As protest movements in recent years have seen Cambodia’s garment, footwear and textile (GFT) workers emerge as frontline defenders of their rights, the Cambodian government has made pro-worker concessions to some extent — from an annually increasing monthly minimum wage to mandatory back payments of workers’ bonuses. Despite these improvements, workers continue to suffer under multifaceted exploitation from a variety of stakeholders. Conversations with 27 garment workers as well as 24 other stakeholders — including trade unions, human rights lawyers and employers — revealed ongoing abuses of workers’ rights, a result of capitalist ideologies deeply ingrained in trade philosophies of countries and corporations alike. Specific attention was brought to the GFT sector’s minimum wage, which: (1) fails to provide adequate financial security despite its annual increase; (2) facilitates price-cutting practices of brands; and (3) serves as distraction from the productivity-based pay and its ability to improve workers’ monthly income and uncover unfair and unethical brand practices. The main findings showed that workers’ incomes were heavily influenced by common practices of financial exploitation by brands. As a result, unfair piece prices paid to factories create financial bottlenecks, which in turn translates into workers rarely having the opportunity to earn more than the minimum wage. This paper provides a recollection of the GFT sector’s struggles and clarifies the disconnect between workers and other key stakeholders.