At the beginning of July 2019, the Bowker Garment Factory in the Kandal province sacked worker representative Hean Sroeun, who is also deputy of the Cambodian Development Union (CDU). Ms Sroeun said she was sacked after she defended a union member who was accused of stealing clothes from the factory and fired. She noted that the company was not able to prove that the union member stole, but sacked the employee regardless. “I asked the company to show me the security footage, but they did not do it,” she said. “When I came to her defence, I was fired as well.”
Another worker and union member, Ms Phalla, believed Ms Sroeun had been sacked because of her continual attempts to improve working conditions. Recent changes to the factory’s management team had brought increasing problems. “The company fired workers without reason and discriminated against the union,” Ms Phalla said. “It restricted the rights of workers.”
