The Labor Ministry met with garment factory and trade union representatives behind closed doors in Phnom Penh on Tuesday to lay the groundwork for the start of talks over a new minimum wage for the garment sector later this month.
“Today, we did not talk much about the minimum wage,” ministry spokesman Heng Suor told reporters after the meeting.
“We just talked dates, and we will know [each side’s position] during the meeting on September 21,” when the tripartite Labor Advisory Committee will meet for the first time this year.
The monthly minimum wage for garment workers was raised from $100 to $128 in January.
Most garment factories say they cannot afford any raise at all this year.
Independent unions are waiting on the results of a study on how much garment workers are spending, due Friday, before setting their wage demands, though some are tentatively pushing for $177.
During a break in Tuesday’s meeting, Labor Minister Ith Sam Heng said the government was aiming for a compromise.
“The strategy of the ministry is to negotiate, negotiate and negotiate some more until we reach an agreement,” he said.
Though the advisory committee gets to recommend a new minimum wage, the final decision rests with the ministry, which aims to choose a figure by the end of October.
The number it settles on will take effect in January.
