"Garment industry minimum wage raised $2 for 2022 amidst criticism from unions and workers", 28 September 2021

The government … moved to increase the 2022 minimum wage for workers in the garment and footwear industry by $2, summing up to a monthly salary of $194 in a decision that has left unions and laborers wishing for more.

…, Prime Minister Hun Sen had reportedly intervened to encourage the ministry to propose the slight wage increase within the National Council on Minimum Wage (NCMW) negotiating body. Through … negotiations, union groups in the NCMW had ultimately requested a raise of $12 from the 2021 minimum while employers asked for a cut of $16…

But even with the salary bump, workers and union representatives told … the new wage wouldn’t be enough to cover a rising cost of living amid the lingering challenges of pandemic conditions in Cambodia.

Pav Sina, president of Collective Union of Movement of Workers (CUMW), said research has shown that workers’ total family incomes have decreased during the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent economic recession. Due to job losses in other sectors, Sina said, many of these families are now forced to depend solely on the income earned by garment workers.

… Ath Thorn, president of the Cambodian Labor Confederation — one of the country’s biggest unions — also said the $2 wage hike was insufficient…

… Van Sou Ieng, president of the industry group Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC), said the minimum wage negotiation is generally based on seven standardized criteria to ensure fairness.

“For $2, Samdech [Hun Sen] is kind and he wants to help workers,” he said, …