By Hsu Latt Phyu - Jun 18, 2025
Workers from Casico Garment, a Korean national-owned garment factory located on Seikkan Thar Road, Industrial Zone 3, Hlaing Tharyar Township, Yangon Region, are demanding higher daily wages and an end to workplace rights violations.
The factor currently employs around 300 workers and manufactures musinsa standard brand jackets.
“The factory operates with daily shifts from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (including 2 hours of overtime). Workers who have completed one year of service receive a daily wage of 7,200 kyats and a subsidy of 2,000 kyats, totaling 9,200 kyats. The overtime rate is 1,800 kyats per hour. Some workers receive 8,000 kyats daily wage and 2,000 kyats OT. The factory has been running for just over a year. They provide a full attendance bonus of 60,000 kyats. But 20,000 kyats is deducted per day if we take any leave, we lose the full bonus if 3 days were missed. The management they reduce skill bonus of workers they don’t prefer. No sick leave is allowed. In short, none of the legally entitled leave benefits are granted. The clinic does nothing, there are issues with meals and sanitation, and production targets are unrealistically high. Supervisors and line leaders verbally abuse and physically harass us. We are raising these issues for resolution,” a worker said.
Workers say that the canteen is insufficient for the number of employees, forcing them to have lunch in cramped conditions. Additionally, the lack of clean and proper toilets is causing health-related difficulties.
“We sometimes eat standing up, holding umbrellas in the rainy season. Only 3 work out of 12 toilets for 300 workers. The clinic does nothing when we’re unwell. They demand production targets that exceed what’s realistic, and they pull workers from other lines when there's a labour shortage. Supervisors verbally abuse us every day when targets aren’t met,” a worker involved in the protest said.
Workers also reported late salary payments on payday and the lack of shuttle bus arrangements for those who live far away, raising serious safety concerns.
The factory has no trade union—but only a WCC (Workplace Coordination Committee). But only workers with over one year of service are eligible to vote, and just one representative per line is allowed, resulting in a lack of transparency and accountability. Workers say no effective representative exists to advocate for workplace improvements.
Workers have also requested support from the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) regarding these violations.
Their demands include:
- Increase daily wage to basic 11,000 kyats + 2,000 kyats subsidy for all, including cleaners and sewing operators.
- Grant all legal leave entitlements.
- Do not lower grade levels beyond formal deductions for absent.
- Provide full leave benefits when medical leave is submitted.
- Pay overtime rate in accordance to the daily wage.
- Provide annual bonus in the service-length anniversary month.
- Do not deduct full attendance bonus for taking gate passes are taken but proportionally from the daily wage.
- Increase number of toilets according to workforce size.
- Expand and weatherproof the canteen.
- Disburse salaries within 8 working hours on payday and provide return transport; pay salaries to all staff by the 5th day of the month.
- Do not impose production targets beyond worker capacity.
- Stop verbal abuse and harassment by supervisors and line leaders, and take effective disciplinary action against violators.
