"Unions, government, factories prepare for minimum wage negotiations", 19 August 2021

Minimum wage negotiations for garment and footwear workers for 2022 will go ahead, officials said, in spite of economic challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tripartite meeting between representatives of workers, the industry, and government will begin September 7. Union leaders are scheduled to hold an internal meeting this Friday, to discuss their strategy and requests…

…, the National Council on Minimum Wage approved a $190 minimum wage for workers in 2021, marking no increase over the previous year. Unions had requested a raise of nearly $12, while employers asked for a cut of $17.

The government then decided to add a $2 raise, bringing the wage to $192, …

Ath Thorn, president of the Cambodian Labor Confederation — one of the country’s biggest unions — said he expects another difficult negotiation, with the pandemic hitting Cambodia even harder in 2021…

“What I am [predicting is] a raise of at least 3 dollars, it would be good because this year it is difficult because of the COVID-19 crisis,” Thorn said, adding that because next year is an election year he is more hopeful of workers’ prospects…

Yang Sophorn, president of Cambodian Alliance Trade Union said that she can’t predict whether there will be a rise of minimum wage, but said negotiations must go forward, even as employers say they face challenges during the pandemic.

“Workers are facing more hardship than employers during the COVID-19 crisis,” she said, adding that the current salary of workers is too low to meet basic daily expenses and suitable living conditions…