Cambodia’s ministry of labour and vocational training recently gave unions and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) a deadline of August 6 to decide on their figures for the sector’s minimum wage for the next year. Negotiations on next year’s minimum wage started on August 3. GMAC has said it wants the minimum wage to remain the same. After the second meeting of the National Council on Minimum Wage on August 6, ministry spokesman Heng Sour said the delay is to allow all sides to set a figure for negotiations to find a minimum wage acceptable to all, according to Cambodian media reports. Six tripartite meetings of the National Council on Minimum Wage, which includes workers and employers’ representatives and the ministry of labour, will be held until September 25 to reach a final decision. GMAC deputy secretary general Kaing Monika said employers are incapable of raising the minimum wage and therefore, most GMAC members agreed to keep it at $182 a month.
