The work of the Cambodian Food and Service Workers’ Federation (CFSWF) is grounded in the existing legal framework governing labour rights in Cambodia. This framework defines both the protections formally guaranteed to workers and the gaps that continue to expose many food and service workers to insecurity, exploitation, and discrimination.
Cambodia’s Labour Law provides the main legal basis for the protection of workers’ rights, including provisions on wages, working hours, occupational health and safety, freedom of association, and collective bargaining. In principle, these laws apply to workers in the food, hospitality, tourism, and service sectors.
However, in practice, many workers covered by CFSWF operate in precarious or informal employment situations, where legal protections are weakly enforced or not applied at all. Short-term contracts, subcontracting, informal arrangements, and lack of written contracts significantly limit workers’ access to their legal rights.
Cambodian law recognises the right of workers to form and join trade unions. Nevertheless, food and service workers often face obstacles when exercising these rights, including administrative barriers, intimidation, anti-union practices by employers, and limited access to effective legal remedies.
CFSWF works to support workers in navigating this legal environment, strengthening their understanding of labour law, and collectively defending their rights through lawful organising and representation.
Although legal mechanisms exist for social protection, including social security and occupational injury schemes, coverage remains limited, particularly for informal, migrant, and service-sector workers. Many workers remain excluded from effective social protection, leaving them highly vulnerable to economic shocks, health crises, and sudden loss of income.
The legal framework has yet to fully adapt to the realities of the food and service sectors, where employment is often unstable and seasonal.
A central challenge is not only the content of the law, but its implementation and enforcement. Insufficient labour inspections, unequal access to justice, and power imbalances between employers and workers undermine the effectiveness of existing legal protections.
CFSWF therefore combines legal assistance, awareness-raising, and advocacy to help bridge the gap between the law on paper and workers’ lived realities.
Within this legal framework, CFSWF:
Educates workers about their rights under Cambodian labour law
Provides legal support and referrals in cases of labour disputes
Advocates for stronger enforcement and improved labour protections
Engages with authorities and stakeholders to promote fair and inclusive labour policies
By working within — and pushing to improve — the existing legal framework, CFSWF aims to ensure that food and service workers are not only legally recognised, but effectively protected and empowered.
Your support helps food and service workers organise, defend their rights, and improve working conditions through solidarity and collective power.
