Synopsis: Civil society organisations call for immediate action to address unsafe commutes for factory employees.
More than 50 civil society organisations and trade union federations have issued an urgent call for action following two deadly road crashes that claimed the lives of 14 garment workers and injured 79 others in Kampong Chhnang and Svay Rieng provinces on May 23.
The Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights, Transparency International Cambodia, and the Cambodian Industrial Workers Federation are among the bodies making the demand.
They described the incidents as a tragic but predictable consequence of Cambodia’s long-standing transport safety crisis affecting thousands of garment workers.
“These devastating incidents are not isolated events but part of a persistent pattern of unsafe and inadequate transportation conditions faced by garment workers across Cambodia,” they said.
The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training reported that 93 garment workers were involved in the two incidents.
In the Kampong Chhnang crash, nine workers were killed and 44 others injured. The Svay Rieng incident saw five deaths and 35 injuries.
According to the group, thousands of workers travel to and from factories every day in overcrowded vehicles not designed for passengers. Workers are often forced to stand or sit in unsafe conditions, without seatbelts or basic protections, exposing them to serious risks in the event of a crash.
Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training spokesman Sun Mesa said the government has repeatedly raised the issue with transport operators and factory owners and continues to push for urgent solutions to reduce crashes involving workers.
