I would like to draw ALL employers attention to the minimum wages and standards for Khmer employee's. http://www.cambodiainvestment.gov.kh/the-labor-law-of cambodia_970313.html
Please note particularly article 146 which states - Article 146
"It is prohibited from using the same worker for more than six days per week."
The minimum wage here is $128 a month, for a maximum of 48 hrs per week. So in an average 4 week month, that equates to around 62 CENTS an hour. Don't exploit these people anymore then you are supposed to just because you think you can. Would any of you willingly work for someone else's benefit for 62 cents an hour?
This post has been brewing in me for awhile. What pushed me into writing it, came about through a FB post which mentioned Burger King may be opening in Sihanoukville. My 1st reaction was a big " FUK YOU AMERICA AND ALL YOUR CULTURAL SHALLOWNESS" ( OK, its that time of night!). But then someone mentioned what a great $6 meal deal you could get.Then I looked at Hungry Jacks ( as BK are known in QLD) prices in my home town. Then I compared minimum hourly wage rates. $16.82 an hour in Oz as compared to 62 cents an hour here. Then I read a post on the local employment page that stated they were looking for staff for 7 days a week.
And THATS when I got the shits.
Seriously, would ANY of you work for someone ELSES benefit for 62 cents an hour, 7 days a week? I sure as fuk wouldnt.

.

I should clarify - it wasn't BK that made the post looking for staff for 7 days a week work ( I'm sure they would pay what is required by law and even perhaps a little more. They are in the public eye after all and have to much to lose not to. YEEHAH - 65 cents an hour any one?!). It was a G/H down here. And while they didn't state the wage, I can tell you right now, it will be lucky if it reaches 62 cents an hour.

Hotdigr wrote: Seriously, would ANY of you work for someone ELSES benefit for 62 cents an hour, 7 days a week? I sure as fuk wouldnt.

Very few Western women would do your laundry for $1 or have sex with a dude for $20, but most expats don't object to Cambodians doing that.

Hotdigr wrote: Seriously, would ANY of you work for someone ELSES benefit for 62 cents an hour, 7 days a week? I sure as fuk wouldnt.

No, I wouldn't either. There are a lot of jobs I wouldn't take and wage rates I wouldn't agree to. But that is irellevant. Comparing wages in Sydney vs. Sihanoukville is also irellevant. If the locals think that is a shit wage they can simply not apply for jobs at BK and remain in their current job or remain unemployed, and BK will either have to abandon their expansion plans or raise wages or cut hours, or whatever will tempt potential employees.

If BK is in violation of the existing labor laws in Cambodia then they should be subject to legal punishment and forced to comply. They are not bound to uphold your personal views of "fairness" and "cultural deepness", whatever the hell that means.

Digg3r wrote:Don't like the pay, don't apply for a job. Simple

Quite right too Dig, particularly in a country with so many jobs and a 0% unemployment rate. I will pass your wisdom on to a particular 27 y/o Khmer girl I know who has 5 kids, a drunken husband and whose wage doesnt quite meet the minimum requirement. But of course thats all her fault as she could have just said " NO' ay?. Merry Xmas to you too Scrooge.

Hotdigr wrote:

Digg3r wrote:Don't like the pay, don't apply for a job. Simple

Quite right too Dig, particularly in a country with so many jobs and a 0% unemployment rate. I will pass your wisdom on to a particular 27 y/o Khmer girl I know who has 5 kids, a drunken husband and whose wage doesnt quite meet the minimum requirement. But of course thats all her fault as she could have just said " NO' ay?. Merry Xmas to you too Scrooge.

You are always free to hire that person and pay her $75 per hour to ease her plight. Any less than that would be cruel, IMO. Aren't you willing to do that? You Scrooge, you!! You see everyone, I am so much more of a humanitarian than this guy, because he wants BK to pay her only $16 per hour and I want him to pay her $75 per hour. I win the battle of internet kindness and caring!! I can't wait for the karma points to come rolling in for my generous stance!!

In order to compare the value of national minimum wages around the world, its essential you take the cost of living into account in each country, & I guess at some point, the average educational qualifications too of each population, & the general wealth & development of each country.

Of course nobody from a western developed nation would work for that little, but I would bet there are people in the poorest countries of Africa who would be queuing up to work for that amount of money.

I am surprised & also impressed that Cambodia does have a national minimum wage, along with other labour laws. Even the UK didn't get a national minimum wage until 15 years ago or so

there is a similar debate surrounding minimum wage workers in USA esp in the fast food industry.
they want a living wage.