By Thar Gyi - Jun 18, 2025

Workers at Chisheng factory who are demanding 12,000 kyats increase in their salary say they were threatened by the factory manager, who warned that anyone who refuses the offered amount would be dismissed with a one-week notice. The workers reported the incident to the Solidarity  Trade Union of Myanmar (STUM).

Chisheng factory workers began their wage increase demand on June 13. In response, the factory offered to raise the daily wage by 10,000 kyats.

However, on June 14, the factory warned that workers would be fired with a one-week dismissal notice if they did not accept the offered amount.

Workers are demanding a raise of the daily wage to 12,000 kyats, overtime pay to 2,500 kyats per hour, and the attendance bonus to 50,000 kyats.

Instead, the factory manager proposed raising the daily wages from the 9,600 kyats to 10,000 kyats, increasing the attendance bonus from 35,000 kyats to 40,000 kyats, and keeping the overtime rate unchanged.

“There are three demands. We've been raising them since yesterday. They said they’ll issue a one-week dismissal notice if we don’t accept what they offer and said that we’ll be dismissed if we continue protesting without returning to the workplace within a week,” workers said.

STUM noted on its social media platform that factory owners and labour officials pressure workers to accept the employer’s proposed rates instead of negotiating whenever workers demand wage increases.

On June 12, workers at Rum Yang (Myanmar) garment factory in Shwepyithar Township were similarly pressured by a regional director from the Department of Labour, leading to the withdrawal of their demands. Some workers quit their jobs following the incident.