TY - JOUR
T1 - International Actors in Cambodian Labor Politics
AU - Park, Jinyoung
N1 - Funding Information:
The US’s strong support enabled the ILO to form this new mechanism. The promise of a quota allocation increase gave leverage to all the stakeholders: a larger quota meant more profits for employers, more jobs for workers, and more tax revenue and political stability for the government. US embassy representatives’ participation in discussions with the Project Advisory Committee signaled to local actors that the US would consider this project when deciding on a future quota. Through several months of negotiations, the ILO and the Labor Ministry drafted a ministerial decree on the arbitration system (Noord et al. 2011, pp. 9-10). Finally, in 2003, the AC was launched with the financial support of the US government. The ILO facilitated two years of recruitment and training of arbitrators, and the AC received its first case in May 2003 (Noord et al. 2011, p. 20). With the AC, Cambodia had a three-step procedure to settle labor disputes through negotiation at the workplace, conciliation in the labor ministry, and arbitration. In the AC, a panel composed of three arbitrators representing workers, employers, and the government, would conduct conciliation a second time. If this failed, a hearing would take place. Before the hearing, the parties would decide on whether to make the AC decision or award binding or non-binding. Most of the awards are non-binding. According to internal data, the AC has dealt with 1,897 cases from 2003 to 2018, and 88.5% of the awards were non-biding. When the AC gives an award, one or both parties can object within 7 days. If none of the parties do so, the award is regarded as binding. If any parties breach the binding award, the case could be sent to the court. For non-binding cases, if one party (primarily, employer) refuses to comply with it, workers may legally strike.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021. All Rights Reserved.
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - This study explores new dynamics in industrial relations (IR) in the globalization era. Globalization has created a favorable environment for international actors to become engaged in national IR systems. To analyze the institutionalizing process of the IR system under the influence of international actors and its impacts and implications, I devise a theoretical frame of institutional implantation by developing Evans' concept of ‘institutional monocropping.‘ I study Cambodia, a newly industrializing country under the strong influence of globalization. Drawing on data from intensive fieldwork, I argue that the Cambodian IR system has been designed based on the experiences of international actors, specifically the US government and the International Labour Organization (ILO), to serve their own interests. I suggest that these implanted institutions have brought shortterm gains to Cambodia's unions but may hamper their long-term potential by influencing unions’ strategies and behaviors, relying on international support, and focusing on economic issues in the workplace.
AB - This study explores new dynamics in industrial relations (IR) in the globalization era. Globalization has created a favorable environment for international actors to become engaged in national IR systems. To analyze the institutionalizing process of the IR system under the influence of international actors and its impacts and implications, I devise a theoretical frame of institutional implantation by developing Evans' concept of ‘institutional monocropping.‘ I study Cambodia, a newly industrializing country under the strong influence of globalization. Drawing on data from intensive fieldwork, I argue that the Cambodian IR system has been designed based on the experiences of international actors, specifically the US government and the International Labour Organization (ILO), to serve their own interests. I suggest that these implanted institutions have brought shortterm gains to Cambodia's unions but may hamper their long-term potential by influencing unions’ strategies and behaviors, relying on international support, and focusing on economic issues in the workplace.
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U2 - 10.21588/dns.2021.50.1.008
DO - 10.21588/dns.2021.50.1.008
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85107733598
SN - 2671-4574
VL - 50
SP - 179
EP - 201
JO - Journal of Asian Sociology
JF - Journal of Asian Sociology
IS - 1
ER -