Xinhua, Phnom Penh :
Garment industry, the kingdom’ s largest foreign currency earner, reported a 6.5 percent rise in exports in the first two months of 2014 despite recent production suspension due to illegally violent strikes.
During the January-February period this year, the country exported garment and shoe products worth 991 million U.S. dollars, up 6.5 percent from 930 million U.S. dollars over the same period last year, the figures of the Ministry of Commerce showed Wednesday.
The products have been mostly sold to the United States and European countries, and some Asian countries, particularly Japan, China, and South Korea.
The sector, comprised some 900 factories with about 600,000 workers, accounts for about 80 percent of the country’s total exports.
The whole industry had been closed for two weeks in late December and early January due to illegal protests to demand higher wages.
Ly Tek Heng, operations manager of the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia, said the export growth was still low because of a production halt early this year caused by outlawed strikes.
“I believe that the sector will continue higher growth if the government takes strict actions against any illegal strikes in the future,” he said.
Eight opposition-aligned trade unions announced last week that they would jointly lead a stay-at-home garment strike from April 17 to April 22 to demand a 160 U.S. dollars minimum wages for garment workers and the release of 21 detainees, who were arrested in early January during violent protests.
Pav Sina, president of the Collective Union of Movement of Workers, said the eight trade unions represented over 100,000 workers. A minimum wage for garment workers is currently 100 U.S. dollars.
Labor Minister Ith Samheng warned last Wednesday that the government would strictly implement the law to ensure the safety of the garment industry if the minority group of the trade unions holds illegal strikes.
