18 Oct 2022, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Venue - Union House ( Time 1:30 PM to 4:00)
Background
During the Exchange Program in the Cambodia, at the 17th Oct a small team of our team, Ms. Dolma, Bindu, Mr. Brijmohan and I ( Laxman Sharma) were willing to have a meeting with the Entertainment Workers Union. This meeting was organized well in the Union House. 10 women workers and union leaders and 7 OXFAM and other CSO representatives were together in the meeting. The methodology applied to get information was in the question answer model. The session started after the introduction of all participants. Sessions were led by Vishal (OXFAM). Language Interpretation in the whole was led by Vishal and I in the Nepal group.
2. Informations gathered are as follows,
The Confederation of food and beverage workers
union represents 10 thousand workers although 1700 Plus are the active dues paying members in this union. Among this number, unions have three major sectors, firstly in the food and beverage, the second is in the general ( Departmental stores, Malls) and the third is in the entertainment sectors. This entertainment sector is dominated by women and few third gender workers.This includes workers in the massage centers, beer promoters and Karaoke type of working stations. Most of the workplaces are city based these workers are from rural villages, adult seen ladies, mostly illiterate and having no shelters as they were residing in the public or temple owned area.Participants replied they got benefitted on raising salaries, protected by the consumers or employers in sexual harrashments and abuses sometimes. They had maternity leaves, overtime wages, day care centers for the kids and grew self esteem.
COVID-19 shattered all entertainment sector workers. Our Korean owned company ( Alaska Massage Center) flew after lockdown. They didn't pay our salaries, benefits even though we don't have a recommendation to get government distributed Cash Benefits, being workers of the ‘foregn owned company’. We participated in a rally to get those benefits, and registered petition letters. They made us revolve around different ministries and authorities. Now we don’t have any support, even our shelters are also told to remove us from the places where we are staying.
In the Beer Promoters workfields, owners are threatening workers not to unionize. If they get unionized, they will lose their jobs. Again, expelling old age workers, they are recruiting young and beautiful girls for the job. Educated youths are also not willing to come near to unions. They don't even know minimal workers rights. It would be great if we could capacitate them on legal provisions.
They asked about Nepal's status on trade union rights and standards . With group consensus, I shared the types, and standards of the public, formal and informal sector workers. I added the migrant workers and our Trade Unions position on social protection. Ms. Bindu added the CSOs role and perspectives on them. Cambodian participants asked about the women workers in the Entertainment Sector in Nepal. Ms Bindu and I replied to their questions on the gender agenda of the workers in Nepal.
Lastly, at least four of our Cambodian leaders in the CSOs talked about the issues faced by the participants in entertainment workers of Cambodia. The further talked about the sustainable trade union movement to protect labor rights and standards. I addressed the participants to get united and fight for their rights. We thanked each other and ended the program at 4:PM followed by solidarity claps. It was interesting, 5 slow, 5 fast and one at the end.
3. Conclusions
Both Nepal and Cambodian entertainment sector workers are exploited by the consumers, employers and even by the authorities. They are not well organized, unions have not prioritized their agenda and CSOs support have limitations. So, a sustainable movement towards their decent work seems deemed.
Understanding of the Social Protection of the informal sector is vivid. Its ‘must do part’ to understand the differences among the welfare, developmental and right based approaches in social protection.
Gender Issues in some specific areas, as the entertainment sector are more sensitive so needs special attention by all concerned.
The Union Education or ‘Capacity Development’ efforts needs to be revisited in methodology. The traditional cascading effect model doesn't work effectively and efficiently now.
