Sweden signed on 27 February 2020 a five-year agreement with the Arbitration Council of Cambodia. The agreement includes a $530.000 grant. The agreement is also in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), who has granted the partnership $1.5 million, reports the Cambodian daily Phnom Penh Post.
A joint press release details the goals of the partnership: to make Cambodia’s labour relations system and labour dispute resolution services more effective. The trio is hoping for the grants to raise awareness about the council and their work; issue resolution between workers and employers.
“The role of the ACF in the resolution of labour disputes in the labour market is crucial. Sweden will continue to support the ACF to ensure that the council will continue to act independently and professionally,” said Samuel Hurtig, the Head of Development Cooperation at the Swedish Embassy in Cambodia.
The Arbitration Council have handled around 3,000 cases from 2003 to 2019, which has affected over 1.11 million workers in the industrial- and service sectors in Cambodia, according to a statement made by the Executive Director of the Arbitration Council Foundation, Men Nimith.
Source: Phnom Penh Post
