A garment factory in Cambodia. ILO in Asia and the Pacific/Flickr. CC (by-nc-nd)
On 28 May, once again, a factory in Cambodia was the scene of a now sadly familiar episode: more than 100 workers – the majority women – fainted at the Starite Company in Kandal province. The Chinese-owned facility, which has been operating for less than a year, employs about 1000 workers and produces bags for the U&O brand.
Incidents of mass fainting in factories have been alarmingly frequent in Cambodia’s economically vital apparel and footwear industry in recent years. In 2017, the Cambodian National Social Security Fund reported that some 1,603 workers had fainted while working. Other widespread incidents of mass fainting in export factories occurred in 2011, 2012 and from 2014 to 2016. The sector, which employs over 700,000 workers, 90% of whom are women, is the country’s number one export industry. Major apparel and footwear brands from Europe and the US source their products from Cambodian suppliers, largely motivated by the low cost of labour.
