Labour minister Heng Sour presides over the latest round of tripartite minimum wage negotiations on September 12. Heng Sour via FB
Employers’ representatives have proposed a $2 increase to the monthly minimum wage for the Kingdom’s factory workers in 2025, while workers’ representatives called for raises of $6, $7 or $10.
The current minimum wage for garment, footwear, and travel goods factory employees is $204.
The figures were discussed during a September 12 meeting, with representatives of employers and workers and officials from the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training taking part in the tripartite negotiations.
According to a press release from the labour ministry, the representatives from both sides – employers and workers – engaged in professional, mature discussions regarding their respective positions.
Ministry officials facilitated the discussion by providing additional explanations on social and economic factors for consideration.
“Following the negotiations, the workers’ representatives proposed three different increases: $6, $7 and $10 on top of the current $204 wage, along with seven additional demands for the ministry and the government to consider,” said the release.
“The employers’ side proposed a $2 increase to the current wage, with further proposals to be presented on September 19,” it added.
Labour minister Heng Sour addressed the media after the meeting. He noted that the minimum wage in Bangladesh last year was $116, but dropped to $110 in 2024. In Vietnam, last year’s minimum wage was $208, but this year, it has been reduced to $206.
“For this reason, employers have only proposed a $2 increase for Cambodia, which would raise the minimum wage to $206 in 2025,” he explained.
He acknowledged, however, the right of workers to demand higher wages based on their own reasoning.
“As mediators, we are working to explain and adjust the figures from both sides to bring them closer together. Right now, the figures are still quite far apart,” he said.
The 2024 minimum wage of $204 was achieved with an additional $2 gifted by Prime Minister Hun Manet. When asked by reporters if a similar increase would occur this year, Sour said it was at the discretion of the prime minister.
The final tripartite meeting to decide the 2025 minimum wage is scheduled for the afternoon of September 19. A vote may take place among more than 50 tripartite members if employer and worker representatives fail to reach an agreement, according to Heng Sour.
