ฺBy Min Ni Kyaw - Jun 12, 2024

Myanmar Labour News has learned that one worker is working around 120 hours of overtime per month due to forced overtime by garment factory officials. The workers also said that they are forced to work overtime every day as well as on weekends.

“We are working 3 hours of overtime every day including all night overtime on Saturdays and also an overtime on Sunday. Our overtime records are between 100 and 120 hours according to the salary slip,” said a worker.

In the 2022 directive of the Ministry of Labor, it is stated that overtime work should be limited to 20 hours per week.  It will be prosecuted if the overtime records of the worker is more than the time approved by employer and managers.

Factories are taking the consent of the workers in advance to work overtime for two weeks. The workers said that they are also asked to work overtime just after the time of work.

"Overtime is surveyed these days. But there are still intimidations and abuses. They intimidates our rights and employment. Workers are human. Therefore, we have metabolism and family. We are having health issues due to not getting enough rest,” a woman worker said.

The workers said that they are suffering from health and fatigue because the factory officials forced them to work a lot of overtime. They were fired and suffered damages due to these feelings.

"There were also people who were dismissed due to overtime issues. Button, finishing, packaging departments, have to work overtime more than everyone else. Some workers get sleepy and sick due to excessive overtime. And it is also a witness that the office dismiss those workers," said a worker.

Factory officials mostly intimidate to the stability of employment to force overtime. The labor organization said that workers are facing violations such as not being provided food, transportation, pay cut and forced to sleep at the factory.