Fuente: www.bwint.org

THE BWI WELCOMES FIRST EVER COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT IN ANGKOR WAT RESTORATION PROJECT SITES

Two years ago, over 100 representatives from 40 BWI trade unions from 20 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region participated in a rally supporting the Angkor Wat restoration project workers in Cambodia. Today, we can say that the BWI campaign has worked. BWI affiliate, the Cambodian Construction Trade Union Federation (CCTUF), which has been organizing workers employed at the restoration projects has signed a collective agreement with Ecole Française d’Extrême Orient (EFEO), one of the international teams involved in the restoration of Angkor Wat.

 It took EFEO's Director Mr Verellen two years of back and forth negotiation particularly on the contentious issue of the check off system before signing the collective agreement in Siem Reap on 15 December 2006. Both parties concluded the agreement using the French version after agreeing that the official valid agreement will be the Khmer version. The French Ambassador to Cambodia had to bear witness to this historic conclusion of the negotiation. In this final round, the parties agreed to a salary increase by 5 percent every five years and an increase in the minimum wage from USD79 to USD87 per month.

The BWI wishes to extend gratitude to all its members and particularly to its French affiliates which have stood in solidarity with their Cambodian brothers and sisters.

Other international organisations such as the Japanese Team for Safeguarding Angkor Wat (JSA) as well as the Cambodian authorities can no longer refuse to recognise the unions and to initiate the negotiation of collective agreements. Operating under a new name the JSA hired back the same employees except trade union members. "The BWI will work with the Japanese Affiliates Council to create more conducive dialogue between Sophia University and JSA and the local unions at the worksites. At the same time, other solidarity organisations like the ACILS Cambodia will continue to provide legal and technical support to the CCTUF" says Anita Normark, General Secretary of BWI.