Exploitation of Child Labourers (or) 2025 July Labour News Report

Min Nyi Kyaw
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Myanmar Labour Society conducted a review and analysis of news stories published by Myanmar Labour News in July, and found that underage youth workers were being employed and made to work without receiving full wages as required by law.

Myanmar’s labour laws outline age requirements, working conditions, and working hours for the employment of child and youth workers. However, no specific provision was found regarding wage payment for these young workers.

Myanmar Labour Society observed that the absence of such legal provisions is one of the root causes of wage-related violations faced by youth workers.

In July, Myanmar Labour News published a total of 122 news articles. Among them, 60 reports highlighted violations of labour laws and worker rights by 50 different factories.

Myanmar Labour Society analyzed nearly 30 of those reports featured on the Myanmar Labour News website. The analysis was based on whether labour rights violations occurred in the workplace, whether they aligned with the standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO), and whether they involved human rights violations or social discrimination.

Although demands related to workplace requirements and wage increases were less common in July, there was a noticeable increase in cases of illegal wage deductions, denial of entitled leave, and other violations of labour laws.

Among these wage violations, factories were found to be withholding full statutory wages from young workers. There were also garment factories that failed to provide full holiday and Sunday wages.

According to Myanmar Labour Society’s findings, one particular factory was found to have committed up to nine different types of labour violations.

The factories reviewed in July included 42 garment factories, along with footwear factories, headwear factories, bag factories, packaging factories, service industry-related factories, purified drinking water factories, jewellery factories, and electronics factories — one from each category.

Garment, bag, cap, and shoe factories are typically operating under the CMP (Cut-Make-Pack) model, with a total of 45 such factories reviewed. Out of the 50 factories found to be violating labour rights and laws in July, 45 were CMP factories — representing up to 90 percent of the total.

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Factories and Products Reported in June 2025

Among the reported violations of labour laws and workers’ rights, Myanmar Labour Society found that 33 factories were forcing workers to do excessive overtime under pressure, while 27 factories were involved in wage deductions. Another 26 factories subjected workers to intimidation and threats, and 16 factories were reported to be verbally abusive toward their employees. Additionally, 13 factories had reportedly dismissed workers illegally, and another 13 factories were found to lack safe and secure working environments. There were 12 factories where workplace discrimination was taking place, and 11 factories were found to be employing underage youth workers. In 10 factories, legal leave and entitlements were not granted to workers, while 9 factories pressured workers with unreasonably high production targets. Furthermore, 6 factories instructed workers to give false statements to inspection teams, and 5 factories had cases of wage deductions carried out by supervisory staff. 5 factories reportedly forced workers to continue working for more than five consecutive hours without a break. 4 factories were found violating laws concerning daily wage workers, and another 4 factories experienced incidents of worker protests or demand submissions. 3 factories were identified as having issues related to workplace injuries or occupational harm. 2 factories did not comply with WCC regulations, and 2 more failed to provide adequate rest periods. Another 2 factories were forcing workers to perform duties outside their official job roles. In more severe findings, 1 factory attempted to dissolve a labour union, 1 factory was forcing workers to work as substitutes on official holidays, 1 factory was implicated in workplace sexual harassment, and 1 factory violated the rights of pregnant workers.

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Forced Overtime Practices

In July, it was found that 33 factories forced workers to work overtime, accounting for up to 66% of reported cases.

The forced overtime practices included excessive overtime hours, requiring workers to sign consent forms without their actual willingness, threatening their job security, forcing them to work beyond the legally allowed overtime limits, compelling them to work on public holidays and rest days, threatening wage deductions or actual deductions of regular wages and attendance bonuses if they refused to work overtime, terminating workers who declined overtime, and forcing them to work night shifts or overnight without consent.

Due to excessive overtime, workers are facing health issues in the workplace, and in one case, a worker passed away on-site at HKW Hyatt Knitwear Co., Ltd.
https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/efforts-underway-to-secure-social-security-compensation-for-worker-who-died-during-early-morning-overtime

According to Myanmar’s labour law, there are clear provisions and notifications regarding working hours, overtime, and wages. However, it is found that many factories fail to comply with those standards and protocols related to overtime employment.

Currently, forced overtime practices rank as the second most frequent labour violation, and the Ministry of Labour has not yet addressed these issues. These practices constitute a violation that, under existing law, can result in imprisonment or fines. It remains one of the most rampant forms of abuse in workplaces.

The workplaces found to be involved in forced overtime during July include factories in headwear manufacturing, footwear, garments, bags, jewellery, services, bottled water production, and electronics sectors.

The specific factories are: Alland Fashion Ltd, BCC Jewelry MFG, Bright Future GT Appeal, Casico Garment, Chi Mei Garment, Dongxin Garment, EUROSTYLE (Myanmar), Glowing & Win Investment (ADK), Golden Colour Fashion (Myanmar), Golden Propitious (Myanmar) Co., Ltd, HKW Hyatt Knitwear Co., Ltd, JIMMY Garment (Myanmar), Lat War 1, Lat War 3 Co., Ltd, Lucky Fortune Co., Ltd, Mai Yi Bei Garment Manufacturing Co., Ltd, Myanmar Belle International Co., Ltd, Myanmar Ju Chuan, Myanmar LNY CAPS Co., Ltd, Myanmar Myo, Myanmar Xiang He, New Plus, Novel King, Peak Outdoor (Yangon) Co., Ltd, Poly Clothing Co., Ltd, Shun Yu Myanmar Garment Co., Ltd, Shwe Myinn Washing Factory, Skytex Myanmar, SUDEY Industrial Myanmar Co., Ltd, Sunlong (Myanmar) Sports Co., Ltd, Sunrise Myanmar Fashion Garment, Xing Run Myanmar, YUVA Electronic (Myanmar) Co., Ltd.

Wage Deductions

In July, wage deduction complaints were reported from a total of 27 factories, including those in the purified water, garment, electronics, and headwear manufacturing sectors. With a 54% involvement rate, more than half of the factories mentioned in the report were implicated in wage-related violations.

Forms of wage-related violations included reducing attendance bonuses for adolescent and daily wage workers, failure to pay overtime wages, not providing annual leave or long service allowances as stipulated by law, deducting skill bonuses, regular wages, and attendance bonuses for refusing overtime work, threatening wage cuts, withholding wages on scheduled payday, cutting pay for lateness, delaying wages for absences, not paying overtime to daily wage workers, failing to pay double overtime rates as required by law, withholding garment production bonuses, cutting regular wages and earned leave entitlements for unapproved absences, reducing overtime pay, and raising deduction rates while decreasing workers’ entitlements.

Factories reported for wage deductions include: Alland Fashion Ltd, Casico Garment, Chi Mei Garment, Dishang Fashion (Myanmar) Co., Ltd, Dongxin Garment, EUROSTYLE (Myanmar), Glowing & Win Investment (ADK), Golden Propitious (Myanmar) Co., Ltd, JIMMY Garment (Myanmar), Lat War 1, Lat War 3 Co., Ltd, LITA MYANMAR Co., Ltd, Lucky Fortune Co., Ltd, Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion Garment, Myanmar LNY CAPS Co., Ltd, Myanmar Myo, Myanmar Xiang He, New Zhong Hui Co., Ltd, Novel King, Poly Clothing Co., Ltd, Saiform International Garment Myanmar, Shun Yu Myanmar Garment Co., Ltd, Sky Fashion Myanmar Co., Ltd, Skytex Myanmar, VHT, Xing Run Myanmar, YUVA Electronic (Myanmar) Co., Ltd.

Intimidation and Coercion

The report identified 26 factories involved in intimidation and coercion of workers. These factories are primarily in the garment, bag manufacturing, and electronics sectors, accounting for a 52% violation rate among all reported factories.

Coercion and intimidation are strictly prohibited under the state-sanctioned Employment Contract (EC) framework and are considered forced labour by trade unions.

Observed forms of coercion and threats include forcing workers to sign for and perform overtime under pressure, enforcing excessive production quotas, mandating work on rest days, requiring workers to sign warning notices under company policies, deducting regular wages, skill allowances, or attendance bonuses from those who resist, threatening non-payment, dismissing workers, repeatedly demanding increased production targets, reassigning job positions as a form of punishment, pressuring resignations, restricting freedom of movement, and subjecting workers to retaliatory treatment.

Factories reported for coercive practices include: Casico Garment, Chi Mei Garment, Dishang Fashion (Myanmar) Co., Ltd, Dongxin Garment, Glowing & Win Investment (ADK), Golden Propitious (Myanmar) Co., Ltd, GTIG Easter Garment, He MeT Co., Ltd, Lat War 3 Co., Ltd, Lesmart (Myanmar) Apparel, Lucky Fortune Co., Ltd, Mai Yi Bei Garment Manufacturing Co., Ltd, Myanmar Belle International Co., Ltd, Myanmar Xiang He, New Zhong Hui Co., Ltd, Peak Outdoor (Yangon) Co., Ltd, Poly Clothing Co., Ltd, Saiform International Garment Myanmar, Shun Yu Myanmar Garment Co., Ltd, Sky Fashion Myanmar Co., Ltd, Skytex Myanmar, Sudey Industrial Myanmar Co., Ltd, Sunlong (Myanmar) Sports Co., Ltd, West Wood, Xing Run Myanmar, YUVA Electronic (Myanmar) Co., Ltd.

Verbal Abuse in the Workplace

According to reports published by Myanmar Labour News in July, 16 factories were found to be engaging in verbal abuse towards workers in the workplace. This figure accounts for nearly one-third of all factories identified as having committed violations.

Experts categorize verbal abuse in the workplace as a form of labor exploitation. It is an act that directly harms the dignity of individual workers and constitutes a violation of workplace rules, workers’ rights, and human rights. Labor rights advocates also point out that verbal abuse is one of the most common forms of coercion and can seriously impact both the mental and physical health of employees.

Most of the reported cases of verbal abuse were related to pressure placed on workers to meet production targets. In some factories, incidents even escalated to physical aggression.

The factories identified for verbal abuse include: Casico Garment, Chi Mei Garment, Glowing & Win Investment (ADK), Golden Colour Fashion (Myanmar), Golden Propitious (Myanmar) Co., Ltd, He MeT Co., Ltd, Lat War 3 Co., Ltd, Lucky Fortune Co., Ltd, Mai Yi Bei Garment Manufacturing Co., Ltd, Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion Garment, Myanmar Ju Chuan, New Plus, New Zhong Hui Co., Ltd, Peach Garden, Shun Yu Myanmar Garment Co., Ltd, and Sky Fashion Myanmar Co., Ltd.

Unlawful Termination of Employment

Myanmar’s labor laws clearly outline the conditions under which an employer can lawfully terminate a worker. These conditions are set out in key laws such as the Labour Organization Law, the Social Security Law, and the Factories Act.

However, current employment termination practices in factories reveal violations such as the dismissal of underage workers without any form of compensation, terminating daily wage workers who are not paid the legally stipulated wages, threatening workers in relation to their jobs, dismissing workers under the pretext of unauthorized leave without granting legal leave, and terminating employees for refusing to do overtime.

A total of 13 factories were found to have engaged in such unlawful terminations. These factories include: Casico Garment, Chi Mei Garment, Dishang Fashion (Myanmar) Co., Ltd, Hundred Garment Myanmar, JIMMY Garment (Myanmar), Lat War 1, Lesmart (Myanmar) Apparel, Mai Yi Bei Garment Manufacturing Co., Ltd, New Plus, New Zhong Hui Co., Ltd, Poly Clothing Co., Ltd, Sky Fashion Myanmar Co., Ltd, and SUDEY Industrial Myanmar Co., Ltd.

Lack of a Safe and Decent Working Environment

To improve productivity and maximize production output, the Factories Act of 1951 was enacted with the aim of ensuring safe and decent working environments.

In addition, labour experts emphasize that the absence of a safe working environment can lead to physical injuries, mental stress among workers, and a negative impact on the overall performance of the business.

In July, a total of 13 factories were identified as not providing a safe and decent working environment. The conditions at these factories include lack of access to emergency medication, overcrowded or poorly managed transport services, failure to provide proper protective equipment, unhygienic canteen facilities, inadequate clean drinking water, unsanitary toilets, lack of workplace security, blocked or non-existent emergency exits, and in some cases, workers were forced to sleep inside the factory due to overtime shifts, which even resulted in deaths.

The factories involved include: Alland Fashion Ltd, BCC Jewelry MFG, Casico Garment, Chi Mei Garment, Double Packing Myanmar, Glowing & Win Investment (ADK), HKW Hyatt Knitwear Co., Ltd, Lat War 3 Co., Ltd, LITA MYANMAR Co., Ltd, Myanmar LNY CAPS Co., Ltd, Saiform International Garment Myanmar, Shun Yu Myanmar Garment Co., Ltd, and Sky Fashion Myanmar Co., Ltd.

Discriminatory Practices in the Workplace

Discriminatory practices observed in factories primarily involve disparities in job positions and assigned responsibilities, which lead to misuse of authority and workplace oppression.

In July, issues identified included applying different sets of factory rules based on job positions, discriminatory distribution of gate passes based on personal favoritism, differentiated payment of wages and attendance bonuses, selective allocation of skill and garment bonuses, inconsistent production targets, retaliatory actions for refusing overtime, differential treatment regarding work tools, and employment discrimination against workers involved in protests.

These forms of discrimination were found in 12 factories, namely: Alland Fashion Ltd, Casico Garment, GTIG Easter Garment, Lat War 1, Myanmar Fala Fala Clothing, Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion Garment, New Plus, Novel King, Saiform International Garment Myanmar, Shun Yu Myanmar Garment Co., Ltd, Shwe Myinn Washing Factory, and Sky Fashion Myanmar Co., Ltd.

Employment of Young Workers

According to Myanmar labor laws, while the legal minimum working age starts at 14, only those aged 18 and above are permitted to work as adult laborers. Workers between the ages of 14 and 18 are classified as young workers and are only permitted to work for a maximum of 6 hours per day. They are not allowed to work overtime and must obtain a certified medical clearance before entering the workplace.

Since the enactment of the military council's conscription law, there has been a surge in workforce shortages across the country. In response, many young workers have entered the labor force to fill the gaps left by adult workers, who are increasingly reluctant to participate due to the prevailing difficulties and insecurities.

Despite these circumstances, many factories have denied young workers their lawful rights and subjected them to exploitative practices.

In July, incidents involving young workers included being required to work equal hours and tasks as adult employees, receiving reduced wages, and being dismissed without access to entitled benefits despite being officially employed.

These issues were identified in 11 factories, including: Alland Fashion Ltd, EUROSTYLE (Myanmar), He MeT Co., Ltd, Hundred Garment Myanmar, LITA MYANMAR Co., Ltd, New Zhong Hui Co., Ltd, Novel King, Shun Yu Myanmar Garment Co., Ltd, Shwe Myinn Washing Factory, Sky Fashion Myanmar Co., Ltd, and Xing Run Myanmar.

Denial of Legal Leave and Entitlements

According to international standards, the purpose of regulating leave entitlements by law is to fulfill workers' basic needs and ensure the workplace remains productive and efficient. It also serves to recognize workers’ rights and protect their human and labor rights.

Myanmar’s 1951 Leave and Holidays Act outlines the types and conditions of leave available to local workers.

In July, there were 10 factories found to be denying workers their legal leave and entitlements. These factories are: Alland Fashion Ltd, Casico Garment, LITA MYANMAR Co., Ltd, Lucky Fortune Co., Ltd, Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion Garment, New Zhong Hui Co., Ltd, Saiform International Garment Myanmar, Shun Yu Myanmar Garment Co., Ltd, Sky Fashion Myanmar Co., Ltd, and West Wood.

Additional violations observed in July include the mistreatment of pregnant workers and incidents of sexual harassment. There were also cases of excessive production target demands, manipulation during factory inspections, wage deductions ordered by supervisors, extended working hours beyond the legally permitted five hours, abuse of in-house workers, and workplace injuries. Violations of legal protections, including unlawful dismissals linked to workers’ demands and protests, and non-compliance with WCC (Workplace Coordinating Committee) regulations, were also recorded.

Other ongoing forms of forced labor include failure to allow full break time, forcing workers to do tasks outside their job scope, and requiring them to work on substitute days in lieu of holidays. Furthermore, violations of the International Labour Organization's (ILO) provisions on freedom of association have also been reported.

The findings of this review by Myanmar Labour Society are aimed at informing laborers, labor rights activists, union members, and labour organizations involved in this sector.

Myanmar’s labour laws were mostly drafted many years ago and are in need of modernization to meet current-day challenges. The findings presented here are intended to support necessary legal reforms to protect workers from present-day labor rights violations.

We invite support and collaboration to ensure the continued release of Myanmar Labour News’ monthly reports and to promote the publication of high-quality monthly and annual labor rights reports.

Myanmar Labour Society
Research Team