Fair Labor Association & 17 member companies send letter to govt. opposing garment workers' exemption from minimum wage
"17 FLA Affiliates Sign a Letter Opposing Garment Workers' Exemption from the Minimum Wage in Myanmar", 15 July 2015
[T]he Fair Labor Association sent a letter to the Ministry of Labor in Myanmar standing against efforts to exempt the fast-growing garment sector from paying their workers the country's new minimum wage. The letter was signed by the FLA Vice President of Programs and 17 FLA affiliates. The letter responds to efforts by trade associations in Myanmar to lobby the government for an exemption to the 3,600 kyat ($3.21) per day minimum wage proposed... The FLA and its affiliated companies strongly support inclusive minimum wage negotiations in all production countries, in pursuit of fair compensation for workers. The letter to the Myanmar government specifically disputes the suggestion made by trade associations that a higher minimum wage for garment workers in Myanmar will discourage international investment, pointing out that brands committed to paying living wages in their supply chain would be encouraged to source from Myanmar, rather than deterred. "Our concern is that any exemption negotiated for the garment industry would lead to hundreds of thousands of garment workers not having a wage that meets their basic needs," states the letter...
The FLA...17 affiliates that signed the letter...are: adidas Group; Best Promotions, Chenfeng Group, ChicoBag, College Kids, Kathmandu, Kranos Corporation, Mountain Equipment Co-op, National Memory Project, New Balance, Outerknown, Patagonia, Public Identity, Santa's Workshop, SEAsTra/SE Asia Trade, Top of the World, and Widget Wah.