Union leader: Salary negotiation scheduled for this month

Union leader: Salary negotiation scheduled for this month

The Cambodia Herald) – 24-08-2013

 

PHNOM PENH - Government representatives and union leaders will soon hold meetings to discuss garment worker's salary increase for 2014, according to a union leader Friday.

"Negotiations with factory employers to increase the salary for workers in the garment sector is scheduled to take place some time this August," said Som Oun, president of National Union Alliance Chamber of Cambodia.

He said that the discussion will be held under chairmanship of Ith Sam Heng, Social Affairs Minister, and with all union representatives in attendance.

"The increase will be made in accordance to the nation's economic growth," he said, adding that salary discussions will continue every year.

"In this fifth mandate, worker's salaries are expected to increase to $200 per month," he added.

Cambodia's garment industry is the biggest income earner for the country, with exports reaching $2.51 billion in the first half of this year, up 19.5 percent from $2.1 billion over the same period last year, according to the figures given by the Commerce Ministry.

The industry is comprised of around 500 factories employing some 600,000 workers. A worker's monthly minimum wage is 80 dollars.

In 2012, the nation earned 4.6 billion dollars from garment exports.

Cambodian apparel are mostly sold to the United States and European countries.