Joint Statement: Trade Unions and Civil Society Organizations Unite to Demand at least USD 232 Minimum Wage for 2026

Phnom Penh, September 02, 2025

We, the undersigned trade union confederations, federations, and civil society organizations working in the garment, footwear, textile, and travel goods sectors, demand that the minimum wage for 2026 be increased to USD 232 per month. This is not merely a request, it is an urgent necessity grounded in the real costs of survival for Cambodian workers and the demonstrated economic capacity of the country.

The current minimum wage of USD 208 is far below the threshold of a dignified life. According to the Asia Floor Wage Alliance’s 2024 Consumption Survey, workers spend a monthly average of USD 408 on food and non-food items, almost double their average income of USD 250. The Anker Research Institute estimates that in 2024, the gross living wage for urban Cambodia is USD 232 per month, while households in urban areas require about USD 417 per month to secure a basic but decent standard of living, including essential needs and social security. CNV International's 2024 Fair Work Monitor finds a 41 % gap between average earnings and living costs, driving 73 % of workers into debt just to survive.

This persistent wage-expenditure gap pushes workers further into debt, traps them in poverty, and forces them to compromise on food, healthcare, and education. It is unacceptable that the backbone of Cambodia’s economy - the garment and footwear workers - are denied the most basic conditions for a dignified life while the sector continues to attract global investment and deliver profits for brands and employers.

While research shows that average household expenditures exceed current incomes, the unions have adopted a very reasonable demand for 2026. Although a minimum wage of USD 232 remains below the full cost of living, it represents the minimum necessary adjustment for 2026.

We call on the National Minimum Wage Council, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, the Royal Government of Cambodia, and employers’ associations to recognize these undeniable realities and approve a new minimum wage of at least USD 232 for 2026.

For more information, please contact:

Mrs. Yang Sophorn, President of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (CATU) 

Tel: 015787 857

Mrs. Touch Seur, President of Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom

of Cambodia (FTUWKC)  

Tel: 012 971 533  69 860 308

Trade union confederations & federations and civil society organizations endorsing this joint statement:

1. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC)

2. Centre for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights Alliances (CENTRAL)

3. Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)

4. Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC)

5. Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (CATU)

6. Cambodia Independent Trade Union Federation (CITUFED)

7. Community Legal Education Center (CLEC)

8. Cambodian Food and Service Workers’ Federation (CFSWF)

9. Cambodia Tourism Workers’ Union Federation (CTWUF)

10. Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL)

11. Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)

12. Cambodia Institute for Democracy (CID)

13. Cambodian Youth Network Association (CYN)

14. Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), Netherland

15. Equitable Cambodia (EC)

16. Federation of Independent Trade Unions (INTUFE)

17. Federation Union of Free and Independent (FUFI)

18. Federation of Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC)

19. Federation Union of Labour Influences (FULI)

20. Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA)

21. Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU)

22. Labour Behind the Label (LBL), UK

23. Partnership for Environment and Development Organization (PED)

24. The Cambodian NGO Committee on CEDAW (NGO-CEDAW)

25. Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN), Canada

26. Sahmakum Teang Tnaut Organisation (STT)

27. Gender and Development for Cambodia (GADC) 

28. Klahaan