Cambodia Minimum Wage Talks Stall; Workers and Employers Hold Firm

Negotiations for Cambodia's 2027 minimum wage have stalled due to significant differences between worker and employer representatives. In a tripartite meeting of the National Minimum Wage Council held on the afternoon of September 18, 2026, both sides maintained their respective positions. Worker representatives presented two distinct wage increase figures, while employer representatives requested no increase. Heng Sour, Minister of Labor and Vocational Training and Chairman of the National Minimum Wage Council, informed reporters after the meeting that the majority of worker representatives maintained their proposal for an increase of $15.30 USD, bringing the total to $225.30 USD. Another group of worker representatives proposed an increase of $40.60 USD, totaling $250.60 USD. In contrast, employer representatives proposed maintaining the current minimum wage of $210 USD. As an agreement has not yet been reached among the involved parties, Minister Heng Sour stated that all parties have scheduled further tripartite discussions for the morning of September 28, 2026, to find a mutually agreeable wage figure. This marks the third tripartite meeting to discuss and set the minimum wage for workers in the garment, textile, footwear, and travel goods and bags industries for 2027. In addition to the tripartite meetings, bilateral discussions between worker and employer representatives, as well as internal meetings within each group, have also taken place. According to Minister Heng Sour, during this third meeting, worker and employer representatives continued to present their reasons and internal stances to each other with professionalism and maturity. Government representatives have continued to mediate and provide additional explanations regarding social and economic criteria to the parties involved.