Oct 16, 2007 (DVB), The Burmese government has more than doubled the daily wage rate for municipal refuse collectors in Rangoon, according to town sources.

The daily payment given to the workers has been increased from 700 Kyat to 1,500 Kyat a day.

One Rangoon municipal worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, told DVB that officials had said the pay rise was aimed at helping garbage collectors make a better living in the face of rising commodity prices.

"We were paid 500 Kyat a day before last year when they raised the pay to 700 Kyat. Now it has been raised again to 1,500," he said.

"However, as commodity prices have more than doubled this year, we are still unable to make a living even after the pay rise." There are around 1,000 refuse collectors on the Rangoon municipal payroll.

Reporting by DVB