The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training has advised former employees of Naga World to file a complaint with the court, as the worker’s union has rejected the solutions proposed by the ministry and the Arbitration Council.
The advice was issued in an October 20 statement, after Labour Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees (LRSU) of NagaWorld submitted a letter to the ministry, requesting that it revisit the resolution of the labour dispute that originated in 2021.
Ministry spokesperson Sun Mesa said the former NagaWorld employees who continue to protest should file a lawsuit, because they have rejected the resolutions provided by the Ministry of Labor and the Arbitration Council, which are part of the tripartite mechanism for solving disputes.
“The demands of the former Naga World workers are the same issues that the ministry has already addressed and finalised, in accordance with the legal procedures for resolving labour disputes within its jurisdiction. Those who are dissatisfied may exercise their right to file a lawsuit in court, which is the most appropriate legal procedure,” he explained.
He stressed that the legal procedures and stages of the resolution process cannot be reversed from the Arbitration Council back to the ministry. Therefore, the only remaining step for them is to file a new lawsuit in court.
This morning, the LRSU and former employees submitted letters to the ministry and several embassies, including the embassies of France, Canada, the UK and the US, urging them to help expedite a resolution of the dispute with NagaWorld.
Hundreds of former employees protested in 2021, demanding that the company reinstate them and accusing the company of paying unlawful termination compensation after announcing layoffs of more than 360 staff members. The layoffs were justified by the company on the basis of the economic crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, although union insiders claimed that union representatives were targeted for redundancy.
