The Building and Wood Workers Trade Union Federation of Cambodia (BWTUC) is a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

of mainly

construction workers Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and come ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

. The union was established in 2009 through a merger of two smaller unions and represents 2,250 members in ten local unions, among them restoration workers at

Angkor Wat Angkor Wat (; km, អង្គរវត្ត, "City/Capital of Temples") is a temple complex in Cambodia and is the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring . Originally constructed as a Hinduism, Hindu temple dedicated ...

. BWTUC is affiliated with the Cambodian Confederation of Labour and has received funding from Building and Wood Workers International.

History

BWTUC was established in 2001 through a merger of CCTUF and CFBW unions. In 2013, BWTUC criticised government construction inspectors for being corrupt and not doing their job, leading to unsafe buildings. In January 2014, BWTUC took part in a protest of 10,000 workers in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

, demanding the release of 23 people detained while taking part in garment workers' strikes. They also demanded a minimum monthly wage of $160 for all Cambodian workers. BWTUC president Sok Kin stated in 2016 that female construction workers only earned half what their male colleagues earned. Following a meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister

Hun Sen Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and o ...

and garment workers, BWTUC sent letters to Sen in August and November 2017, calling for a meeting where protections for construction workers could be discussed. While still waiting for a response, the union said that it would send another letter on

Human Rights Day Human Rights Day is celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year. The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Right ...

. The union also released a survey of more than 1,000 construction workers in Pnhom Penh, which found that 90 percent of the workers were unaware of Cambodia's National Social Security Fund, which would cover medical bills if their employer and they are registered. Only 40 percent of workers said their workplace was safe and relatively injury-free. In 2019, a protest of BWTUC workers delivered a letter calling for better workplace safety for construction workers, especially their inclusion in the National Social Security Fund. After the deaths of more than 70 construction workers in collapses in 2019, BWTUC together with the Centre for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights called on authorities to ensure better safety standards on construction sites.

References

{{Trade unions in Cambodia navbox Trade unions in Cambodia 2009 establishments in Cambodia Trade unions established in 2009 Labour relations in Cambodia