"3,600 Kyat Daily Minimum Wage Proposed for All Sectors", 30 June 2015

Burma’s National Minimum Wage Committee proposed...that the country’s minimum wage be set at 3,600 kyats (US$3.24) for an eight-hour day. Organizations and individuals will have a two-week window to submit feedback on the proposal before the wage can be enacted. If approved, the proposed wage—which amounts to less that 50 cents per hour—will be applied across all sectors nationwide, with the exception of certain small and family businesses...The committee is bracing to face criticism from all sides. Labor unions have pushed for higher pay, while factory owners in some sectors have said that the proposal would make their businesses unsustainable. Sai Khaing Myo Tun, secretary of the Rangoon University Teachers’ Union and a labor representative on the wage committee, said while the proposal didn’t live up to the hopes of labor rights advocates...Some sectors, he said, are likely to request exceptions during the revision period. Employers in the garment cutting, measuring and packaging...industry have already suggested a gradual hike from 2,500 to about 4,000 kyats over the next three to four years. The Myanmar Trade Union Federation (MTUF) has remained firm in its demand of at least 4,000 kyats per day, slightly more than proposed...MTUF members of a wide array of sectors, he said, are going to demand higher pay to tackle rising commodity and housing costs. Even if the wage was set immediately at 4,000 kyats, [MTUF chairman] said, “it’s not gonna be easy to cover the costs."