Phnom Penh Municipal Labour Department said as of today, 121 garment factories have suspended their operations in the capital since the pandemic began. During a press conference at the Office of the Council of Ministers, municipal labour department director Choun Vuthy said out of the 706 garment factories in Phnom Penh, 121 have temporarily halted operations due to a raw materials crunch and production setbacks experienced amid the COVID-19 crisis. “Some factories have not suspended their entire operation albeit holding some sections running. Others source raw materials from other factories, allowing them to still operate during the pandemic,” he said. Despite the unprecedented disruptions, Mr Vuthy assured that textile industry workers who have been laid off or furloughed during this period have benefitted from government support schemes, including out-of-work allowances and upskilling programmes. A total of 433 factories and tourism-related businesses nationwide have temporarily shut up shop due to the virus, said the Ministry of Labour. The mass suspensions have displaced some 135,000 garment workers and 17,000 tourism workers. More than 110,000 of the affected garment workers so far have received their allowances with the fourth round of payments disbursed late last week.
