BACKGROUND OF THE CAMBODIAN INDEPENDENT TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION
FORWORD
Khmer citizens have the rights to establish the union according to the article 42 of the Constitution the Kingdom of Cambodia and article 36 of Co-Civil Servant Constitution stated "all government employees have the business to register as member of the union and take part in legal union management ". We are the private and public educational employees decide to jointly form the union named "The Cambodian Independent Teachers' Association"
On January 25, 1999 teachers and professors throughout the country jointly agreed to hold the strike aiming to demand the government to increase in suitable salary, which is available to socially live with dignity. The strike also demanded for freedom and rights of taking part in the social decision-making and nationally and internationally showed the misery and difficulty of the teachers and professors.
On March11-12, 2000 The Cambodian Independent Teachers' Association was formally established with the participation and support of many teachers. It's the history day because the Cambodian Independent Teachers' Association was actually and fully created and was first and gloriously declared as the teachers' association in Cambodia. The union was formally registered at the Interior Minister on July17, 2001 by intervention of Special Representative of UN Secretary-General. The union became the member of Education International on July 2001.
Since the creation till today, The Cambodian Independent Teachers' Association has established many provincial and district branches and also initially organized the strikes and demonstrations at the provincial schools and in Phnom Penh in order to justly demand for law enforcement and rights of teachers. The struggled actions of the union were nationally and internationally well- known. As evidence, the struggles of our union on strikes, demonstration and other actions were published by national and international news in the first history of Cambodia. The meaning and target of creating the union, which are very far different from the " Public Organization " before 1999 National Election organized by United Nation, are in line with the democracy, which the Kingdom of Cambodia presently maintains. The union was not created under any guideline and control of any authorities but initially established and in line with actual willingness of the teachers. The union does not serve the advantages and political tolls of any authorities and political parties but serve the interests of teachers and uphold the education quality only. The objective of the union is to push all Khmer citizens to have access to Education for All with high quality, to protect the teachers' rights at the workplace and to try all its best to enhance teachers' living conditions and dignity irrespective of race, color, source, sex, religion and political trend.
In the developed countries in the world, the voice of teachers is very strong in developing the society, protecting the freedom and upholding the living standards. When teacher makes preparation and puts hand in hand together through the teacher union in order to negotiate with all levels of the institutions: Headmaster, Education Office, Education Department, and Ministry of Education. The way that teachers will be able to show their force and power to demand for salary increase, good living condition, and educational system improvement, is to unite the teachers' union. If the teacher still doesn't unite, and doesn't join the union, the royal government won't be interested in our misery. The teacher union has an important role to play in protecting the teachers from being abused and pushing the royal government to remove corruption and to make improvement of the education system. It means that teachers should fairly receive the benefit from the society, which allows beingable to live with suitability and dignity.
The teachers should prepare themselves like a chopstick, one teacher like one chopstick which one can break, but teachers organize themselves like a union, no one can break.
