Phnom Penh: Workers across Cambodia are waiting for the outcome of the minimum wage negotiations for 2024, this afternoon, September 28, the National Minimum Wage Council held its sixth round of talks with regard to the increase in the minimum wage for workers in 2024. It is still expected that through negotiations between the parties today results that are acceptable to all parties will be achieved.

Through the talks held on September 18, the fifth round of talks, the union side, representing the workers, proposed a minimum wage figure of $204 supported by 12 votes and the figure of $213 by 5 votes, while the employer side proposes $202 citing the global economic crisis as well as the conflict in Ukraine, which has led to a drop in orders, but so far it has been observed that the talks can continue smoothly, with stakeholders still able to understand each other's difficulties.

The unions still insist that any necessary wage increase should reflect the inflation of goods in the market, because if the wage increase does not meet the daily expenses, workers will inevitably face a living expense increase.

On September 4, after concluding the third round of minimum wage talks, Pav Sina president of CUMW said, "Therefore, if any increase does not reflect the commodity market, inflation means that workers' wages still facing problem, it does not respond if the increase does not reach inflation." "That is why I say that if we do not think about these points, workers will face more problems than the challenges of the employers. I would like to see this negotiation be able to respond to both parties if the employers have "Equivalent to market goods, it is better and I think the government will also have a mechanism to alleviate the difficulties as well as the concerns of the employers."

Through the negotiation of the minimum wage for workers in 2024, Pav Sina said that the negotiation of the minimum wage for workers in 2024 is more difficult than the negotiations held last year due to the unfavorable economic situation in the world. In particular, the war between Russia and Ukraine, which negatively affected Cambodia, as well as all countries in the world.

"for me the wage increase this year it was difficult than last year because of the bad situation between Russia and Ukraine, which has a negative impact on Cambodia, and this negative impact does not affect only Cambodia," he said. No, it is all countries are affected as well, so at this point I, despite the difficulties, the union side is still continuing negotiations to have the best possible review of any level of wage increase for workers.