By Min Ni Kyaw - Feb 08, 2025
Workers at Opal Garment Factory No. 1 in Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone 2 report that a female foreign supervisor is treating them harshly and abusively.
"She hits the sewing tables with a ruler, shouts at us, and forces us to work. She also slams her hands on the tables loudly while speaking. These actions are hurting us mentally. We are already working, so there is no need for such behavior," they said.
Workers state that the woman is the assistant to the factory owner and directly controls the workers inside the factory. In addition, they claim that supervisors also verbally abuse them while pressuring them to meet production targets.
"Not all supervisors in the factory are like that. Some of them address us rudely and dehumanize us. But the worst one is that Korean woman. She is so aggressive that even the supervisors have nowhere to stand. If the supervisors are scared of her, imagine how much worse it is for us workers," said the workers.
Workers also report that they are being deprived of the promised monthly skill bonus (grade pay). The grade pay ranges from a minimum of 5,000 kyats to a maximum of 30,000 kyats.
"We work skillfully and meet our quotas every month, but we don’t receive the grade pay regularly. It’s really frustrating. We have to produce garments according to the set target (Awadi), but they still shout at us even when we meet the target. The base salary is only 20,000 kyats per month. That amount is further deducted for leave days or absenteeism. Supervisors give bonuses only to workers they favor, while others don’t get anything. This is discrimination. If we miss out on 40,000 to 50,000 kyats, that’s equivalent to a month’s rent," they said.
Workers report that they have to pay around 100,000 kyats for dormitory rent and that the factory also imposes penalties for leave days.
Additionally, they claim that when representatives from the clothing brands visit the factory for inspections, factory officials train workers in advance and instruct them to give false statements.
According to workers, Opal Garment Factory No. 1 is owned by a South Korean national and manufactures Korean-brand garments such as OIOI, OK, and DISCOVERY, employing around 2,000 workers. The factory is located in Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone 2, Yangon, while Factory No. 2 is situated in Industrial Zone 3, as stated on the factory’s website.
