Leave Minimum Wage Be, Manufacturers Say
The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) has said that there should be no discussions on raising the minimum wage until 2014, in response to a request from three garment industry unions for talks on a living wage for workers. The response, sent on Wednesday to the unions by GMAC Secretary-General Ken Loo, states that there would be several consequences of a minimum wage increase, one of those being that all workers in the industry would expect the same raise when it “should only impact those at the floor level.” … The March 1 letter from the unions to Mr. Loo – signed by the presidents of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union (CCAWDU), National Independent Federation Textile Union of Cambodia and Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions – called for an increase in the $66 minimum wage following stipulations in the Labor Law, CCAWDU President Ath Thorn said. …
