manual: women workers' rights and gender equality - International ...

union of the exercise of union activities; to be the invocation in order to make a decision on: hiring,
defining and assigning of work, vocational training, advancement, promotion, remuneration,
granting social benefits or discipline or termination of employment contract.
Furthermore, it is stated in the Constitution (article 36.1) that Khmer citizens of either sex shall
have the right to choose any employment according to their ability and to the needs of the society.
And article 36.2 states that Khmer citizen of either sex shall receive equal pay for equal work.
Content for Conclusion:
Men and women should have equal opportunity and treatment in:
- access to training
- access to employment
- career advancement
- job security: nobody can be fired only because of one of the following reasons: race, sex,
colour, marital status, family responsibilities, pregnancy, political opinion, or being a member of
an organization
- salary: equal pay for work of equal value
- working conditions: working hours, holidays, occupational safety and health and other
benefits
The first example in the exercise is addressing the issue of equal pay for equal work. It should be
clear that what is happening with Sorya and Vibol is not fair. They both should get the same
monthly salary because they perform the same work and both have been working for 2 years.
Maternity protection is a measure that helps women to have equal opportunities at work. Women
have the right to paid maternity leave before and after birth, for instance (see for detailed
information the exercise on Maternity Protection). The boss does not allow Sorya to attend the
training because he thinks she will leave the job. This way of thinking is not allowed. Sorya should
get the opportunity just like anyone else. It is Sorya who decides if she wants to continue her job
after becoming a mother. Her boss can not fire her just because she is pregnant or will be a
mother later on.
Another example of inequality is the segregation in jobs. Often women are involved in low-skilled
jobs and men in higher-skilled jobs. For women it is often very hard to come out of this situation
because often men get training to become (more) skilled.
A few more examples come from an ILO research in Cambodia. According to this research,
garment factories are unwilling to recruit men because they think that men are more aggressive
than women and more difficult to control. Another result from this research was that married
women have less chance than single women to obtain employment. Both are clear examples of
inequality at work. It shows that not only women are discriminated against but it happens to men
as well and there is also inequality between women with different marital status.
Workers should undertake action when there is discrimination at the workplace. This can be very
difficult sometimes. Of course people are afraid to lose their job when they complain about certain
situations. A good advice is to fight against inequality together. Organize your colleagues; ask for
help, you are always stronger in a group. Think about organizations that can help you, a trade
union for instance or an NGO.
Make sure that women also are represented in different committees at your workplace, if there are
any. They can address the issues in these committees and ensure follow-up action is taken to
change the situation. Another important thing is: try to get publicity for the problems, in the press
for instance. When a lot of people know that you are fighting for your rights the employer or
government feels more pressure.
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