Why I won’t give up until we win our basic right for a living wage.
My name is Eam Rin and I am a garment worker and union organiser in Cambodia. This week I am in London to share my story and the shared story of my fellow workers in hope that it will inspire people like you to join us in our fight for a living wage in Cambodia.
For 15 years, I have worked as a sewer in garment factories in Phnom Penh making clothes for numerous brands, including Adidas. As you can imagine, over the years I have experienced and seen a lot. As a widow and mother of 5 young children, I have had to work grueling hours only to earn just enough to support my family. We can barely afford to pay for the one room that we rent.
Being a union leader is difficult at times. I helped organise protests earlier this year that were broken up by the police and the army. During these protests, 4 workers were killed – I saw one person shot in front of my factory. No one has been charged with these crimes.
It is important for me to share these ugly realities of the garment industry with you, but this is only one part of my story. Because in Cambodia, you can find struggle but also hope.
Therefore, it is also important for you to know about the incredible strength and commitment we have for one another. Despite all my hardships, I believe wholeheartedly in humanity, and I will never give up the hope and the fight for a better tomorrow. This is why I became a leader in my union, and why I won’t give up until we win our basic right for a living wage.
We need your help.
Tomorrow, September 17, is a very important day for our movement in Cambodia. Thousands of my fellow garment workers will take action in their factories calling on key brands including Adidas, H&M, and Zara, to commit to paying garment workers in Cambodia US$177 a month, which would significantly improve our lives.
Our union has called on people across the world to stand in solidarity with us, making tomorrow a global day of action. Please show your solidarity with me, and all garment workers in Cambodia, and join our day of action.
While I will leave the UK on Saturday, I want to be sure that my story doesn’t leave with me. Now that you know my story, I ask that you please share it with as many people as possible. We must keep motivated in this ongoing struggle to ensure that everyone in Cambodia and across the world is afforded a life of dignity and equal opportunity.
I am very grateful for your kind acts of solidarity. Let us never give up hope and remain united in a shared struggle for justice.
In solidarity,
Eam Rin
Adidas factory worker
Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union (C.CADWU)
