Phnom Penh: On May 3, 2026, Mr. Nguy Rith, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, presided over a ceremony to celebrate the 140th anniversary of International Labor Day, May 1, 2026, which was organized by the Cambodian Confederation of Trade Unions under the theme: Work-life balance is the key to decent, happy and friendly work at the headquarters of the Cambodian Confederation of Trade Unions.
Speaking to the gathering on the occasion, the Secretary of State highlighted the long history of International Workers’ Day and clearly stated the Royal Government’s concern in organizing this day since 1979, by setting various themes based on the actual situation of each year. In fact, as in this year’s situation, the meaning of the theme for 2026 is “Together Building Resilience for Decent Work”, while unions also always set themes according to their own views.
He highlighted that this topic reflects the Royal Government’s strong commitment to promoting sustainable labor market development by continuing to improve working conditions, ensuring the rights and freedoms of professional organizations, strengthening the social protection system, and promoting deeper and more comprehensive social dialogue, in line with the ten-point recommendations of Samdech Techo Hun Sen and the ten-point recommendations of Samdech Thip Dei, which the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training has been successfully implementing with all parties.
He expressed his interest and high appreciation for the vision and work activities of the Cambodian Confederation of Professional Unions, whose President, Mr. Chheung Sarith, presented to the ceremony that the newly established Confederation of Trade Unions wants to join the professional partnership with the Ministry in fulfilling the work of representing the voices of workers and employees in creating a culture of compliance, aiming to ensure the rights and legal benefits for both workers and employers. The main role of unions is to help both workers and employers grow together and live together as equals. “Common kitchen” which contributes to the harmonization of professional relations:.
He also considered the topic set by the Union to be in line with the common goal of moving towards “decent work”, which is the desire of all parties in a situation where the world is in an uncertain situation, the crisis of war, natural disasters, etc. In the spirit of International Labor Day on May 1, he recommended and encouraged all relevant parties to continue to cooperate sincerely for the common benefit and as a major driving force in promoting national economic growth.
Finally, on behalf of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, he reiterated that the Ministry always considers unions as important partners and is always ready to solve all challenges. To protect legitimate rights and interests and achieve the goal of “One Enterprise, One Peaceful Community”, which is the ambition of the Head of the Royal Government of Cambodia.
