A Profession's Sobering Statistics
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ISSUE 136 INSIDE R 1446 E MB U N SSUE I WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012 Successful People Read The Post 4000 RIEL NatIONAL LIFESTYLE The latest from the Moek Dara trial PAGE 4 ‘There she is, Miss Cambodia’ PAGE 17 Sweeping measures Sor Leash, 20, sweeps up at the Al-Azhar mosque in Phnom Penh yesterday. The Thai government is allegedly trying to keep tabs on Cambodian Muslims travelling to Thailand. HONG MENEA Story - page 3 A profession’s sobering statistics Shane Worrell and Mom Kunthear 2002 showed that the average beer promoter made US$55 per month, ALIS, not her real name, Beer promoters compelled to drink – a lot but had monthly living expenses of appears forlorn as she their restaurants empty-handed. venues, it can be a full-time job – 27 of Guelph in Canada, about 85 per cent about $110. describes what her Malis would know – she sells for the nights a month. of 1,660 Cambodian beer promoters Women were drinking with custom- daughters go through to same beer company. “Every night, I have to talk to cli- he has surveyed between 2004 and ers and offering sexual services as a Msecure tips from their customers. “I very much pity my daughters for ents and persuade them to drink my 2012 regularly drink at work. way of making up the difference – The young women, promoters for a following me into this work, but what beer,” Malis says. “I have to force “Our research shows that beer pro- ensuring they could provide for their major beer company, reluctantly spend can I do?” the 42-year-old says. myself to drink with the clients moters are consuming on average children or send money to their pro- their nights getting drunk on their own Getting drunk may be only a weekly because it’s the only way they will 1.5 litres of beer per night – that’s six vincial families. product – it’s what customers demand or monthly pleasure for the customers, buy it – I can’t avoid it.” glasses of beer, 27 nights per month,” According to Lubek’s most recent and can be the difference between the but for the women who serve them in According to Ian Lubek, adjunct pro- Lubek says. promoters earning tips and leaving restaurants, beer gardens and karaoke fessor of psychology at the University Research Lubek conducted in Continues on page 2 2 THE PHNOM PENH POST AUGUST 22, 2012 National A profession’s Preah Vihear sobering land primed statistics for plantation Continued from page 1 concessions study, conducted this year, the promot- May Titthara ers’ average monthly wage has climbed to $75, but expenses have grown even THE GOVERNMENT has reclassified faster, to about $180 per month. 23,182 hectares of state land in Preah “[Now] they’re averaging a BAC or Vihear province for private develop- blood-alcohol content of .05. ment by three agro-industry firms, pav- They’re basically drunk every night,” ing the way for them to secure econom- Lubek says. ic land concessions. “Overuse of alcohol at such a high Reclassification of state public land to rate leads to liver disease. Also, wom- state private land is a key step toward en aren’t told not to drink when establishing ELCs, concessions that they’re pregnant.” Prime Minister Hun Sen declared a tem- Major companies involved in Cam- porary moratorium on in May amidst bodia’s beer industry including mounting criticism that the country Carlsberg (an owner of Angkor Beer) was being rapidly carved up among and Heineken (an owner of Anchor, businessmen. ABC and Tiger) established Beer Selling But a loophole in that moratorium, Industry Cambodia (BSIC) in 2006. criticised by rights groups as self-defeat- Included in a code of conduct it ing and deliberately vague, allows the released were commitments to government to grant ELCs that had pre- increase education for beer promot- viously been under negotiation. ers, scrap demeaning uniforms, pro- On August 3, the prime minister vide contracts and crack down on An Anchor beer promoter serves a customer at a beer garden in Phnom Penh on Monday night. PHA LINA signed off on the reclassification of land sexual harassment. in Borie, Kulen and Roveang districts to To address drinking, the COC speci- John-Paul Schuirink, a spokesman months after they begin working . ing back, not just to Angkor or Anchor, Green Choice (Cambodia) Co, Ltd (7,863 fies that beer promoters “should not” for Heineken International, says pro- That’s too late to prevent HIV/AIDS but to world-famous breweries like hectares), Aminent Elite (Cambodia) drink with customers. moters who sell his company’s beer are and alcohol dependence.” Carlsberg gives them a lot of leverage.” Co, Ltd (7,359) hectares and Distinct According to the BSIC Monitoring also well paid. One company not affiliated with Carlsberg is, however, taking positive Harvest (Cambodia) Co, Ltd (7,960 hec- Report 2011, authored by Indochina “The current average base salary . BSIC, the Phnom Penh Beer Com- steps toward establishing a memoran- tares) respectively, according to the lat- Research, there is a marked differ- is $92 per month for a 30-hour working pany, says its workers are “not encour- dum of understanding that could est Royal Book. ence between the conditions of beer week. A 10 per cent increase was imple- aged” to drink. improve conditions for its workers, The land reclassification process is promoters employed by BSIC com- mented this year. [It] compares favour- “We don’t want them to drink because Welsh adds. managed by the Ministry of Agricul- panies and those working for non- ably to the average income in Cambo- we want them to maintain their dignity Phol Sophea, deputy director of the ture, Forestry and Fisheries accord- BSIC companies. dia,” he says. It also looks bad for the company if Cambodian Food and Service Workers’ ing to a statement announcing the The report, based on monthly inter- Schuirink says his company recog- they drink,” a spokesman says. Federation (CFSWF), in Siem Reap reclassification from Preah Vihear views of beer promoters last year, says nises the risks associated with beer pro- When asked if the company provides province, believes some progress is Provincial Hall. 61 per cent from BSIC companies nev- motion, which is why it founded BSIC health services for workers battling being made to improve conditions for When asked yesterday whether the er drank with customers, while 38 per and banned workers from drinking. alcohol addiction, he says, “No, we don’t beer promoters, but problems such as government should still be negotiating cent sometimes did. “Research shows that the beer pro- have any problems like that.” drinking remain. ELCs in spite of the moratorium, Chan Only 31 per cent of beer promoters moters working for Attwood [a distribu- Kingdom Breweries, also not affiliated “Many workers have problems with Sarun, minister of Agriculture, Forestry from companies not part of BSIC never tor for the company in Cambodia] have with BSIC, says it no longer has beer physical health,” Sophea says. and Fisheries. declined to comment, drank with customers, while 56 per cent the highest rate of awareness and com- promoters, but would not elaborate. “I ask them to visit the health centre, saying he was busy with a guest. sometimes did, the report claims. pliance with this rule,” he says. Dave Welsh, country director of the a service the companies provide free of It Nody, a secretary of state at the Min- Vo Thi Mai Trang, public relations and Heineken’s priority was preventing American Center for International charge. “But there is no support from istry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisher- communications manager for Carlsberg alcohol use during working hours by Labor Solidarity, says beer companies the companies if a beer promoter ies could not be reach for comment. Indochina, says the number of beer giving training and information about need to do much more to ensure their becomes dependent on alcohol.” Numerous ELCs have been granted promoters drinking in Cambodian its consequences, Schuirink adds. promoters’ rights are protected. CFSWF advises its members to tell since the premier announced the mor- workplaces has decreased dramatically “Besides that there is medical assist- “There’s a real health issue with customers that drinking on the job will atorium, and Am Sam Ath, a senior since BSIC was formed. ance available in case of problems.” unregulated drinking,” Welsh says. make them sick. investigator at the rights group Licadho, “And this is thanks to [the] BSIC Code Lubek, however, believes the COC has “It’s an unhealthy environment to “But some clients just don’t listen,” said this was yet another example of the of Conduct as well as the intensive been largely ineffective. work in, frankly.” Sophea says. “So if the women don’t sit insincerity of the premier’s actions. training that we provided to our [beer “Statistics don’t show any improve- Offering beer promoters a wage that and drink beer with clients, they won’t “We don’t know how many compa- promoters],” she says, adding that ment in the amount of beer drunk covered their monthly expenses is sell their products and they won’t have nies will continue the procedure, so it Carlsberg’s beer promoters are the in the workplace . our research something beer companies should con- any tips. makes the people confused with the highest paid after two pay increases shows that company health educa- sider, he says. “The clients are kings to them, government and the directive 01 [ELC last year. tion, if any, may come six to 12 “The amount of profits that are flow- because they have money.” moratorium] ineffective,” he said.