Ministry: Cambodia to send workers to Kuwait

CAMBODIA plans to send about 5,000 migrant workers to Kuwait for the first time next year, the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training announced yesterday.

In 2009, Cambodia and Kuwait signed a Memorandum of Understanding in manpower exchange, but it was not put into operation and no workers were sent to t he latter.

Labour Minister Ith Samheng met with Kuwait’s Social Affairs and Labour Minister Hind Al-Sabeeh, on Wednesday in Phnom Penh.

After the meeting, Samheng said: “We will prepare 5,000 workers t hat fit t he criteria to be sent to Kuwait to work i n various industries, such as in ser v ices and agriculture.

“If t he working conditions are good and with a reasonable minimum wage, t he [Cambodian] government will send more workers i n the coming years.”

He also noted t hat prospective workers would be given information about the host countr y’s liv ing condition and culture.

However, ot her government officia ls were not aware of t he details of t he plan.

Labour Ministr y under- secretar y of state Ngoy Rit h told The Post that no specific procedures were discussed at t he meeting.

“The two countries’ senior officia ls only discussed a plan to send Cambodian workers to Kuwait. The ministr y’s employment and manpower department will look into the mechanism from the technica l perspective. We shall see t he outcome of t he discussions,” said Rit h.

Labour Ministry spokesman Heng Sour said procedures were needed to send workers abroad.

“Sending [migrant workers] is feasible only if there is demand and instruments to protect them. Prospective workers must also have sound skills, including language, and consent to be sent overseas,” he said.

Dy The Hoya from labour rights group Centra l said t he plan is a good initiative from the government, but it must a lso be war y of t he risks involved in sending workers abroad.

“The government needs to ensure t hat worker protection mechanisms are strong. Abuses and trafficking sometimes occur because [Cambodians] don’t know much about the countr y [they are going to]”, he said.