"Talks to set garment industry minimum wage begin", 4 September 2020

The first three-party meeting to set the minimum wage for garment and footwear industry workers for 2021 was held …, with employer representatives seemingly looking to avoid a raise due to economic struggles in the wake of Covd-19, and unions proposing a nearly $12 increase.

The minimum wage will be determined at the end of a round of meetings between unions, the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) and the Labor Ministry, which will continue ...

Pav Sina, president of the Collective Union of Movement of Workers, said he expected this year’s meeting to focus on Covid-19 and the partial withdrawal of tariff-free trade with the European Union under the Everything But Arms Agreement.

… “Even if there were no extra challenges this year, in previous years the employers’ party has always made it difficult to increase the minimum wage, so we are not surprised at the employers stance,” Sina said…

Mann Seng Hak, vice president of the Free Trade Union said that ahead of the second three-party meeting …, union representatives would gather to discuss progress made in the first meeting…

Nguon Channara, deputy secretary general of the Cambodia Footwear Association, said the employer representatives had not decided on a wage offer, and would wait until the upcoming meetings.

… GMAC Deputy Secretary-General Kaing Monika could not be reached for comment …, but he said … that Cambodia, like many other countries around the world, has faced an economic crisis due to Covid-19, a situation that has been exacerbated by the partial withdrawal of the EBA…