YANGON – Garment manufacturers in Myanmar have completed factory surveys of their own as they look to stifle worker attempts to secure a substantial increase to the country’s minimum wage which is reviewed on a biennial basis.
At the beginning of the year it was announced that Myanmar’s government would for the first time start to research the cost of labour in its key garment, food and commodity sectors, in order to make an informed decision on whether workers should be afforded an increased minimum wage.
At that time, Myanmar’s National Level Minimum Wage Committee said it would push for an increase from the current sum, which equates to US$3.30, to nearer US$5. To counter this, native manufacturers have taken it upon themselves to collect data from around 100 factories in hopes this can influence the government’s final assessment.
