By Hsu Latt Phyu - Sep 20, 2024

Workers from Best Choice Garment  Co.,Ltd which located at No -, Min Kyawswar Thadehti Street, Industrial Zone 2, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon region said that they are suffering due to being forced to work excessive overtime, cut for taking legal leaves, asked for excessive fabric outputs and verbally abused.

The factory is owned by a Chinese national and manufacturing Japanese ordered TR & LLKIDS brands jackets with more than 500 work force. It is also learnt that there is no trade union in the factory.

The working hours are from 7:30 am to 7:00 pm and workers are get paid 6,800 kyats daily wages, 1,500 kyats overtime per hour, 40,000 kyats attendance bonus and ticket fee system.

“The attendance bonus is cut for taking legal leaves. 20,000 kyats is cut for taking leave a day. The supervisors verbally abuse us after asking for fabric output that exceeds our productivity,” said a worker.

Workers are having to work all month including all 4 Sundays and public holidays. They are forced to work excessive overtime and workers who refuse with their own consents are verbally abused,” they said.

A worker stated “It have been 3 months we are working without getting off on Sundays,” said a worker.

The additional problems workers explained are they are costing our travel expenses as the factory doesn’t provide transportation and the workplace do not meet health and safety standards.

Workers are seeking for sufficient wages, fair fabric output demands and safe and digit workplace. Their demands include –

1.       To ask only for possible fabric output

2.     To not call illegal overtime and the supervisors to not verbally abuse those who don’t want to work

3.      The line supervisors to not verbally abuse the workers

4.     To not cut attendance bonus for taking legal leaves.

5.     To provide workplace conditions that meet health and safety standards.

6.     To provide transportation that arrives on time