Cambodian labour unions want minimum wage hike
- Charles Chau
This comes ahead of negotiations this month among worker associations, which will look to increase the minimum wage from this year’s US$194.
Bilateral and tripartite talks between government officials, factory owners and workers are scheduled to begin in August.
The ministry of labour and vocational training has convened a series of internal meetings this month to discuss the minimum wage for the sectors for next year.
The National Council on Minimum Wage (NCMW) will organise a meeting in September to finalise the minimum wage, which will be implemented beginning January 1.
The ministry has urged stakeholders to base their internal deliberation on data and credible academic research on criteria like inflation rate, cost of living, productivity, competitiveness, labour market situation and sectoral profitability, according to Cambodian media reports.
Workers in the country reportedly spend US$250-300 a month.
READ: Cambodia prepares workers for retirement
According to Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC) president Ath Thorn, with 2023 being a general election year, political leaders may be compelled to accede to demands by trade unions, according to Fibre2Fashion.
