"Surviving on the basic wage: higher electric tariffs add to workers' woes", 17 July 2019

Workers making minimum wage in Myanmar are bracing for added living costs after the government recently announced that higher electricity tariffs....

...In the past, electricity and water costs were covered by the employer.

...[P]roblems...of...factory workers in Myanmar, sparking fresh debate on whether the minimum daily wage is enough to meet workers' needs amid rising inflation.

Despite protests by employers and investors, the government raised the minimum daily wage to K4800 in May 2018 from the K3600 set in 2015. Labour unions had lobbied for K5600-K6000 a day after conducting surveys of workers' living costs.

Since then, workers say, their rents and food prices have risen beyond K4800 a day, and many complain that the minimum wage is no longer enough. Throughout the year, there have been worker strikes in protest against the minimum wage and working conditions in Yangon and Mandalay.

...Ko Thet Hnin Aung, general secretary of the Myanmar Industries Craft and Services Trade Union Federation, said the government should boldly raise the minimum wage the same way it raised electricity tariffs.