Garment workers urged to boost sector’s productivity
Prime Minister Hun Sen on November 7 urged garment workers to improve their productivity in order to prevent factories from closing shop and moving to such countries as Laos, Bangladesh and Myanmar, all of which have lower minimum wages. His comments came during a graduation ceremony at the National Technical Training Institute, where he also pointed out relatively rapid gains in the minimum wage for Cambodia’s garment workers, which was recently set at $153 a month for the coming year. “The countries that are absorbing the factories from us are Myanmar, with a minimum wage of $60 to $80; Laos, with [a minimum wage] of $100; and Bangladesh, [with a minimum wage] of $100,” he said. “The factories might pass our country.”
