Labor policy and administration

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 ...

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 ...

In a strongly worded defence of the proposed trade union law, employer association CAMFEBA released a position paper on 2 September claiming the law would curb instances of illegal strikes and a proliferation of minority unions, which it says is needed to harmonise the country’s troubled ...

The Ministry of Labour announced on 1 September that all employees must be under an official contract. The announcement was made on the same day the country’s first minimum wage went into effect, a landmark many workers expected would result in massive layoffs as factories attempted ...

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 ...

Cambodia may soon join other countries in banning the import and use of asbestos, which is known to have serious health consequences, officials have said at a symposium organised by the Ministry of Labour and Union Aid Abroad, an Australian aid NGO. Speaking at the event, ...

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 ...

Unemployment is the top worry for Cambodian youth, according to a survey released on 7 August. Almost half – 49 per cent – of 630 people surveyed across the country cited unemployment as their main concern in the survey conducted by the Youth Committee for Unity ...

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 ...

The Ministry of Labour has officially approved the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM) as Myanmar’s first national-level labour organisation, despite many other unions applying for similar status. The ministry said it approved the CTUM application because it had fulfilled all requirements specified in the Labour ...