The Cambodian Government has scheduled discussions on setting the minimum wage for the country’s garment workers. Discussions are to start primarily within the Labour Ministry from August, followed by negotiations with the GMAC (Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia), and finally with the Trade Union of Cambodia in September… The outcome of which will be announced by early next year.
The changes made last year were marked at US $ 140 per month as the minimum wage, a hike from the earlier number of US $ 128 per month. But still there were issues in the industry, thus to encourage hassle-free production at garment units, the Government has decided to take a final call on the matter.
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The aim of the discussions is to settle for at least US $ 160 as the minimum wage, subject on the scientific formula, devised from the social and economic criteria’s as well as the poverty line. Ken Loo, Secretary General of GMAC said factory owners were struggling with the current minimum wage. “The industry is definitely not ready for a significant increase,” he explained.
There are researches in progress to evaluate workers’ cost of living, before the talks on minimum wage begin. In case the researches yield no clear figure, the CATU demands the end figure be US $ 207 per month. Since 2012, there has been a 100 per cent hike in the wages, right from US $ 66 to US $ 140.
Yang Sophorn, President of Cambodian Alliance Trade Unions (CATU) states that the wages of workers in 2017 must be higher than the previous years due to inflation and other economic factors, such as rising cost of living.
