Cambodian Panel Begins to Grapple With Minimum Wage Reforms

6 February 2014
Radio Free Asia
Garments and textiles / Government / Industries / Labor / Labor policy and administration / System of government / Unions
Cambodian Confederation of Unions / Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia / GMAC / Heng Sour / Keat Chhon / Labor Advisory Committee / Rong Chhun

Cambodia’s newly established government panel to investigate minimum wage reform held its first meeting Thursday to lay out a strategy for addressing the hot button issue, as union leaders announced plans to protest to back their demand for monthly salary increases for footwear and garment workers. Deputy Prime Minister of Economy and Finance Keat Chhon chaired the closed door meeting to define the goals of the committee, established last month to determine the government’s capacity to introduce minimum wage increases for civil servants and factory workers. The panel will report its findings to Cambodia’s Labor Advisory Committee under the Ministry of Labor, committee secretary general Heng Sour said. … Also on Thursday, 11 prominent unions announced plans to hold a march on Feb. 10 in defiance of the ban on demonstrations and to deliver petitions demanding the increase in wages and the release of the 23 detainees. Rong Chhun, the President of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, told RFA that the decision to march was made during a meeting between the unions and that demonstrators would present a list of seven points that they would like the government to address, though he did not provide details of the demands. …

 Radio Free Asia News Staff
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/committee-02062014185924.html