Salary
In Laos, the minimum salary is 380.000 LAK per month (45 USD), usually including a daily meal. However many people in Laos still do not reach this salary. Currently at the LOPPA Production Centre, employees who have graduated from their training receive a minimum of 500,000 LAK per month (60 USD), plus food and accommodation. In future, LOPPA plans to introduce a commission-based salary giving employees the chance to earn according to their production capacity.
The training period for new employees usually takes three months. During this time, trainees receive an allowance of 400.000 LAK per month (47 USD), plus food and accommodation.
Working Hours On average, the normal working week for employees at the LOPPA Production Centre is 42. hours. In the case where employees or trainees work overtime, this will be accounted for and paid accordingly. In addition, the ASE/LOPPA emlpoyees recieve annual bonuses for significant national holidays suc as Pi Mai Lao (Lao NEw Year) and Buddhhist lent.
In keeping with Lao Labour law, employees receive 15 paid days of annual leave. Employees also enjoy Lao national holidays throughout the year.
The Production Centre
The LOPPA Production Centre is a group of small buildings surrounded by lush gardens full of fresh ingredients for production. Each separate building caters for a different element of the production process - a training room, production room, oil extraction room, packaging room and product retail space.
Insurance
Each employee of the LOPPA production centre is provided with health insurance and work accident cover. In case of unfitness for work or sick leave, employees will receive their full salary for up to three days, after which the case will be reassessed. Unfitness for work includes the sickness of immediate family.
Professional Training
Employees undergo training at the production centre for a total of three months, where they are supervised by the LOPPA Trainer, Mr Khamsing, and supported by other employees at the production centre. The training covers both practical and theoretical grounds, after which trainees are able to produce each of the ASE/LOPPA products independently. Trainees are then awarded a Certificate of Competence in Organic Production and are employed by LOPPA in the production centre.
LOPPA Trainer
With a true passion for all things organic, Mr Khamsing is the trainer responsible for supervising production and training at the LOPPA Production Centre. Using recipes sourced from generations of Lao tradition, Mr Khamsing has tried and tested each and every methodology, adding his own touches along the way.
Mr Khamsing is President of the LOPPA, established in 2005 to represent and promote organic goods in the Lao PDR. LOPPA has received many awards and much recognition in Laos for its dedication to promoting the benefits of organics in a country so rich in natural resources.