Mass faintings continue in Cambodia's factories

The brutal conditions in the garment factories of Cambodia continue to take a toll on workers.  There have been major strikes and protests about the conditions in these factories and this week some 300 workers got sick at one of the factories of a contractor that supplies the Swedish “fashion brand” H&M. Today, Aug 25^th, 200 workers at another plant, M&V International Manufacturing fainted according to reports.  This is not the first incident of mass faintings and sickness in Cambodia’s factories.  Many of today’s victims said that before they fainted there was an “overpowering smell.”   “Ninety-eight workers had also collapsed at the factory on Tuesday, which a union representative said was due to forced overwork and fumes emitted by the building’s laundry room.”  Radio Free Asia reports.

The Cambodian sweat shop bosses, the intermediaries between their western comrades in arms and the Cambodian workers they exploit, claim the fainting is due to, (don’t laugh) a “strange psychological phenomenon.” 
“This workplace is not good at all,” one worker said, “It’s hot and smelly. In addition to this, I was forced to work overtime. There is one big fan, but we were not allowed to open windows.”

“To tell the truth, it was caused by the lack of fresh air to breathe … and the smell is unbearable. That was why I fainted,” she added.

Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union, an independent trade Union in Cambodia said that more than 2000 workers have lost consciousness in 5 factories this year. “The reason why they fainted … may have to do with being tired and not having enough to eat.” one health official said. Well, that’ll do it for sure and I’m no doctor.  Even the province’s police chief claimed that mass faintings were “a result of the "weak" health of the workers.” according to Reuters.

The chemicals used in this industry are also extremely toxic to human beings not to mention the environment as Greenpeace discovered in its fairly recent study of the effect on China's river system of the chemicals used in the garment industry there. Such firms as Adidas, Uniqlo, Calvin Klein, H&M, Abercrombie &Fitch, Lacoste, Converse and Ralph Lauren among the culprits whose products are made under the most severe conditions. Greenpeace exposed the massive contamination and pollution caused by garment manufacturers in China and the catastrophic effect on the country's river system. One can only imagine what it does to workers in these factories.  Greenpeace unfortunately pursues the utopian idea that Nike and Adidas and other multinationals can be persuaded to make the world a healthy place when the owners of these corporations get rich by brutally and knowingly exploit human beings.

The conditions in Vietnam and Cambodia are notoriously bad and workers are paid a pittance producing products for western markets.  There have been major confrontations between workers and bosses in Vietnam as an previous blog pointed out as well as in  Cambodia.  In response to major strikes in China that have forced employers to raise wages by as much as 20%, both these two South East Asian countries are seen as possible cheaper alternatives.

The failure of the leaders of the international trade Union movement to address these problems, link them to the crisis workers are facing throughout the world and build solidarity and unity between workers of all nationalities is  a tragic consequence of their pro-capitalist policies.  The aim of global capitalism is to make the conditions that prevail in Cambodia and Vietnam global, a one big sweat shop world and to prevent that from happening two major obstacles have to be overcome, pro-market policies and the scourge of nationalism.