Global brands urge Cambodia to reform labour amid EU sanction threat

Garment factory workers standing in a truck, which they use to commute to and from work, in Kampong Speu province. Cambodia's garment workers -- the majority of whom are women -- make dicey daily commutes in a country where road accidents are a leading cause of death. - AFP

PHNOM PENH: Global clothing and shoe brands, including Adidas, PUMA and Levi Strauss have written again to Cambodia's longtime leader saying the country's record on labour and human rights threatens to bring down sanctions on its crucial garment industry.

The letter urges the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen to amend a trade union law, repeal the law on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and drop all outstanding criminal charges against union leaders.