PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times) – Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union (FTU), has decided not to seek reelection after leading one of Cambodia's largest trade unions for 11 years.
Mr. Mony was elected in 2004 after his brother and founder of the union, Chea Vichea, was assassinated in Phnom Penh following his dismissal from the INSM Garment Factory for starting a union at the factory.
In a meeting at the FTU headquarters in Phnom Penh Sunday, Mr. Mony announced his decision in front of over 100 representatives from factories across the country.
Despite rules stating that presidents can only stay in office for two consecutive three-year terms, Mr. Mony ran again in 2010 after saying he would retire due to health concerns.
He expressed remorse for staying in power for so long, but said he felt he needed to run again in 2010 due to ongoing strikes his union was involved in at the time.
Mr. Mony's time as president was marred by defections and claims that he used the union to make himself rich. But under his watch, the FTU contributed to the effort to raise Cambodia's minimum wage and secure certain benefits for factory workers.
The FTU helped kick start Cambodia's labor rights movement 20 years ago and currently has 60,000 members, most of whom are garment factory workers.