Support, pay low for city builders
THOUGH garment workers are often at the front and centre of Cambodia’s labour movement, a new survey has found that their counterparts in the construction sector on average earned less and were not receiving Labour Law-prescribed benefits, with female builders bearing the brunt of this pay disparity.
The Building and Wood Wo r k e r s’ Tr a d e Un i o n Federation of Cambodia (BWTUC) released early findings yesterday from a 1,010-worker survey cond u c t e d a c r o s s P h n o m Penh worksites, producing data on worker economic profiles, workplace c o n d i t i o n s a n d s o c i a l security fallbacks.
While the more heavily unionised garment sector has reaped some economic benefits as the only sector to have a minimum wage, the survey shows that on average, construction workers were getting around $190 a month, whereas garment factory employees were closer to $230 – largely on account of extra allowances and more overtime pay.
Construction workers, estimated at around 200,000 in the Kingdom, were spending on par with those working in garment factories, but able to save far less. Unlike the garment sector, construction work is largely viewed as an informal sector, and does not have a minimum wage.
However, a closer look at construction workers shows that female builders were paid even less – men were CONTINUED
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