Angkor Wat Campaign - Follow-up
The visit of EFEO Secretary General in Siem Reap Cambodia in July 2005 (3 days) has not provided value added to the EFEO-Angkor Project Workers’ Union (APWU) objective to expedite the negotiation and conclusion of the proposed collective bargaining agreement. Like Mr. Pascal, EFEO resident architect and site manager, the Secretary General authority is limited only to concurring the employment contracts but has no mandate to negotiate and conclude the collective agreement. On the positive note, however, the Secretary General affirmed EFEO’s recognition of the union and its willingness to discuss the collective agreement. The final Khmer version of the agreement is ready after having been discussed with EFEO-APWU leaders with the help of the legal counsel of the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity (ACILS). An English translation is presently being prepared before being submitted to the EFEO Paris Office asking for a timeframe on the negotiation. Regarding the illegal dismissal and union busting cases filed against JSA and SOPHIA, they are still pending at the Ministry of Labour and Vocational training despite favourable reports concluded by the Labour Inspectors who visited the worksites last month. For more info, see http://www.ifbww.org/index.cfm?n=44&l=2&c=1514
