"Myanmar wants minimum wage accepted on trial basis", 13 July 2015

Myanmar’s government has called on garment workers and factory owners to accept a proposed minimum wage on a trial basis in order to “break the deadlock between both sides over the issue,”...Aye Myint, the minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, made the plea as hundreds of demonstrators marched in the commercial capital of Yangon Sunday to demand a daily wage of at least 4,000 Kyat, roughly US$3.50...Gap...responded to a request from a rights group about its position on the minimum wage and whether or not its Myanmar supplier was opposed to the proposed minimum wage. “Gap Inc. partners with factory owners who share our commitment to treating garment workers with dignity and respect, and provide a safe, healthy place to work,” read the statement published by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre. It added: “We have been an active supporter in the establishment of a minimum wage in Myanmar. We support efforts to raise the quality of life for garment workers.” Gap’s statement did not mention its suppliers’ position on the proposed wage, but the company said: “we encourage suppliers to pay competitive wages to their employees.”