By Min Ni Kyaw - May 12, 2024
Workers from Eternal Fashion garment factory which locates at Anawrahta Industrial Zone said that they are only entitled to two days off per month and having difficulties and damages in social and medical issues due to not having full legal days off.
“The labor law stated that workers should have 4 days off per month but this factory doesn’t follow. We have to work overtime on 2 or 3 Sundays on the grounds of having important fabric orders and thus we only have 1 or 2 days off per month. We miss social affairs and can’t take care of our health issues,” said a worker.
They have to work on 3 Sundays if the export date is closing and some departments have to work without a day off. They have to work 2 or 3 Sundays every week and have not ever been experience days off on every Sunday. The overtime wages are not paid immediately but added to the salary. The factory close on public holidays but they are usually working for 2 Sudays a month.
The working hours are from 8:00 am to 6:40 pm including 2 hours of overtime and they got a lunch break at 12:20 but have to work continuously until 6:40 pm without a rest after finishing the lunch at 1:00 pm.
‘They don’t give a break even on the days we have to work overtime until 7:40 and neither provided a snack. We have to work 6 or 7 hours continuously,” said a worker.
Workers said that that although they are forced to work continuously exceeding than the legal 5 hours they are still cut for quality failed fabrics.
“Workers are cut 500 or 1,000 kyats every day by the all super but we don’t know where they use it at. We have to sign warning if we have many quality failed apparels and 3 warning is guarantee to be dismissed” a worker said.
There are two leaders, a super and an all super in each cavity which is manage by the manager according to the constitution of the Eternal Fashion garment factory. Workers said supers are also cut for 40,000 or 50,000 kyats for having too many quality failed apparels.
“Supers are cut too. Workers are cut for 3,000 kyats if the finger print detector does not document the finger print as well. Actually, the clerk would know if the workers work or not. Cutting 3,000 kyats from a worker is too much. It causes us a lot.” A worker said.
Eternal Fashion garment factory which is owned by a Chinese national hires around 4,000 workers and manufacturing down apparel and locates at the Anawrahta Baho Road, Anawrahta Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township and the factory is recircuiting new employers through social media.
