Labor policy and administration
Minimum wage
Unions agree on minimum wage target
Following weeks of quarrelling, Cambodia’s garment unions on 29 September agreed to demand a monthly industry minimum wage of $168 – only to find themselves miles apart from employers who are refusing to consider an increase beyond the rate of inflation. Leading up to ongoing tripartite minimum-wage ...
Date set to announce new wage
The tripartite working group tasked with setting the minimum wage in Cambodia’s garment industry is slated to officially convene on 28 September, with the results of the negotiations to be announced on 5 October if all goes to plan. Keep reading ...
Myanmar factory workers weary of the Arbitration Council
Factory workers have had enough of the arbitration council, the nascent, quasi-judicial body established to resolve labour disputes through mediation. Nearly 200 garment workers fired in the wake of the new minimum wage have decided to by-pass the conciliation system altogether, alleging that the members are ...
Cambodian unions divided
A secret ballot on 23 September failed to resolve Cambodian garment union splits over what to demand at upcoming minimum wage talks, with at least one independent union rejecting the majority vote of $158 and vowing to put forward $178. The division came a day after Labour ...
Wage talk warning from government
Ministry of Labour spokesman Heng Sour on 22 September threatened legal action against those confusing the concepts of “minimum” and “living” wages, as he outlined the method and schedule for upcoming minimum wage talks for the garment sector. In an apparent swipe at recent research showing garment ...
Independent unions raise minimum wage demand
A group of independent unions say they will push for a new monthly minimum wage of $207 for garment workers when three-way negotiations with the government and factories begin in earnest next week. Keep reading ...
Thousands out of work as minimum wage kicks off
More than 1000 factory workers have lost their job in the wake of the new minimum wage, according to the Ministry of Labour. Just one factory has so far closed however. U Maung Maung Hlaing, head of the Labour Laws Inspection Department in Hlaing Tharyar township, said ...
New minimum wage sees workers sacked and struggling
After almost two years of arguments and negotiations, Myanmar has set its first minimum wage at K3600 (US$2.80) per day. The milestone was met with ambivalence by factory owners, and trepidation by garment workers, who fear many jobs will be axed to afford the move. The ...
K3600 likely to stick in final wage talks
Labour officials will hold a final meeting with employers and worker representatives in Nay Pyi Taw on 18 August to finalise the minimum wage, with some participants suggesting there will be no change from the K3600 proposed in June. The ministry hopes to reach an agreement on ...
Proposed minimum wage gains traction with employers
After initial rejection and amid some continued reluctance, most employers are now ready to accept the K3600 a day minimum wage, provided a few conditions are met, the Ministry of Labour said. During a meeting on 25 July with employers who had objected to the government-proposed ...
