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 government officially announced the figure’s approval on 29 August with the law set to go into effect on 1 September. Despite garment factories’ calls to be excluded, the new minimum wage will apply across all sectors and businesses that employ 15 or more people.
Myanmar’s wages were previously among the lowest in the region, triggering discontented workers and labour unions to stage strikes, sit-ins, rallies and protest marches.
