PHNOM PENH: The Minister of Labor, Ith Sam Heng, has decided to send a technical team to Thailand in the near future in order to help Cambodian workers renew their Overseas Cambodia Worker Cards (OCWCs) and other travel documents.

During a meeting with the Deputy Director General of Thai Agricultural Company CP, Preeda Chunwong, at the Ministry of Labor on Thursday, 28 April, Minister of Labor Ith Sam Heng said that through the Memorandum of Understanding between Cambodia and Thailand, it is mutually beneficial for Thailand to have enough manpower for production, and for Cambodians to have the opportunity to get legal jobs in Thailand.

He added that in the future, the Commission for the Legalization of Cambodian Workers Residing and Working in Thailand will send a technical team to complete a mission in Thailand to renew the OCWCs and travel documents of Cambodian workers.

The Minister said, “if Cambodian workers [in Thailand] are staying and working with expired documents or have less than six months left to renew, they can apply for renewal through the automation system of the Department of Employment of the Thai Ministry of Labor.”

The Deputy Director General of CP, Preeda Chunwong, thanked Minister Ith Sam Heng for supporting his company's business operations and announced that his company would increase its investment in Cambodia to contribute to the economy and livelihoods of Cambodians, so that everyone can experience progress like his company.

He also informed the Minister of Labor that currently there are more than 10,000 Cambodian workers working in his company in Thailand, which will also to receive an additional 2,000 workers from Cambodia soon. He described Cambodian workers as honest and patient with their work, and stressed that Cambodian workers will receive the same benefits as workers of other countries.

In addition, he added that his company has a training program to build the skills and capacity of workers, which also provides scholarships for education and leadership training in different departments of the company.

Minister Ith Sam Heng accepted the request from the Thai company requesting 2,000 more Cambodian workers and expressed his pleasure that this company had also bought agricultural products from Cambodian farmers, helping to also improve this important Cambodian market and the livelihoods of farmers to a certain extent. He further encourages companies to increase partnerships with Cambodian farmers by ordering more local agricultural products. Minister Ith Sam Heng also received an invite from CP to visit the company headquarters in Thailand.