The Arbitration Council Foundation (‘Foundation’) is a Cambodian organization, registered with the Ministry of Interior in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Royal Government of Cambodia, and established to support the work and activities of the Arbitration Council (‘Council’) and other related matters in the field of industrial relations and labour dispute resolution. The Council is a national state institution established according to Cambodian statute with legal and equitable decision-making authority with regard to labour dispute cases.The Foundation is a private, neutral, non-profit organization, which does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, or political affiliation, and is a non-political organization not serving as a political instrument including not providing material, financial or human resources to support any political party, or individuals or supporters of those parties.The main objectives of the Foundation are to support and facilitate the work and activities of the Council; to enhance the independence, reliability and efficiency of the Council’s work; and to develop individuals and institutions to resolve labour disputes.
The Foundation and the Council have the track record and reputation among stakeholders for delivering effective services to the industrial relations community. These services include not only arbitrating labour dispute cases – the core dispute resolution service of the Council – but also activities like stakeholder outreach, training and partnership building particularly in alternative dispute resolution and processes, as well as collecting, analyzing and disseminating vital industrial relations information to facilitate discourse on labour issues of common interest. The Foundation has experience and demonstrated capacity in promoting good governance, rule-of-law and social dialogue in all three levels of Cambodian industrial relations – workplace, dispute resolution process and sectorial.
The affiliated institutional relationship of the Arbitration Council Foundation and the Arbitration Council creates a unique opportunity and environment to establish and underpin sound bridges between government and civil society.
The Council itself was established to pursue a strong, effective and fair system of industrial relations (‘IR’) for the economic and social development of Cambodia. The Arbitration Council’s purpose is the fair, independent, efficient and trustworthy provision of a free dispute resolution for collective labour disputes in Cambodia.
The ‘tripartite stakeholders’ – workers, employers and government – are also integrated into the institutional governance framework of the Foundation and Council, via the Stakeholder Advisory Group, a formal consultation vehicle comprised of representatives from trade unions, employers’ associations and government. Serving as a locus of IR activity in Cambodia, the Foundation also coordinates with other IR actors and partners, such as the International Labour Organization and other international and local entities.