By Hsu Latt Phyu - Jan 25, 2024
The workers from the Chinese national owned Wounderful Apparel Co, Ltd garment factory which located at Han City Power Road, Myaung Ta Kar Industrial Zone, Mawbe Township, Yangon region said that there are labor right abuses in their factory and they want help for it.
The factory is operating with more than 450 workers and operating with more than 450 workers and manufacturing Coolteem ERC and ENSRORED brand soft sport shirts, underwear and lace dresses and exporting to Japan.
It is known that there is neither trade union nor workplace collation committee to settle workplace disputes.
The workers said that they have to sew for the workload of 2 people as they are being asked excessive fabric outputs such as 150 fabric pieces per worker. The supervisors such as all supers and supers are verbally abuse them rudely for not getting the fabric outputs.
“They physically assault in addition of the verbal abuses. Recently, a clerk girl was asked to sew and fired by the manager as she can’t. The all super Hnin EI Khaing who went to inform about being fired physically assaulted her when they have a dispute, even the manager have to meditate them. The clerk reported at Mawbe labor office but the manager lied to them. Furthurmore, as the Chinese lady could speak Burmese well, she usually came to the workplace and physically assault the workers such as throwing nearby things. A worker who put a quality dropped fabric into the bin was accused as a thief and intimidated that their picture will be displayed if they doesn’t resign on their own will. They are dismissing illegally no matter how much service the worker have,” said a worker who doesn’t want to be named.
Although the factory does not allow any leaves and fire for taking more than 2 days of social medical leave, they can’t seek resolvent with reporting to the labor office but only them were fired.
The workers also said “The legal benefits are far from us. They don’t even allow a causal leave if we have an emergency case just before coming to the work. For such cases, they cut 4,800 kyats daily wages and 20,000 kyats daily wages.”
The workers address their difficulties of having to work excessive works such as working from 8:00 to 6:30 and until 16:30 at Saturdays. They also have to work until 4:00 a.m without prior notice.
“We have to work all night in Saturdays without prior notice. We can came back only at 4:00 am. They gave 1,000 kyats for transportation fee but we have to spend our own money as it is not sufficient for us. Its not safe for the workers to go back so that they should provide transportation service. They don’t give the overtime wages of our whole night overtimes by saying they would give substitute day off. They intimidate to cut the daily wages if the workers refuse to work overtime,” said the worker.
The workers said that they are working all night overtimes with no choice and intimidate them by not paying their labor wages are definitely exploiting from them.
The workers said that many of under age workers are hired in the workplace and assigned the same tasks as the adults. They are also forced for not getting the fabric output and get paid only 3,600 kyats instead of 4,800 if they resigned.
The workers requests are to inform them in advance and to recircuit overtime only with their consents, to pay the overtime wages, to provide transportation service for the workers who work the whole night or to raise the transportation fees, to pay the child laborers salary with 4,800 kyats if they resign, the Chinese woman to not physically assault and the all supers to not assault the workers physically and verbally.
