By Yoon Sat - May 05, 2025
Golden Colour Fashion garment factory has been urged to immediately drop legal charges filed against four workers and the labour rights organization STUM at Insein’s Ywarma police station, after those workers exposed rights violations inside the factory.
The factory, located in Industrial Zone (3), Insein Township, Yangon Region, has faced disputes involving labour rights abuses and physical mistreatment of workers, followed by dismissals.
After repeated conflicts, the factory management filed criminal complaints against four unionized workers. They also charged the Solidarity Trade Union of Myanmar (STUM), which had supported the workers, under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law.
It is reported that, in an attempt to secure orders, the factory forced workers to sign documents declaring that there was no abuse and that the employer was innocent. Only after that did the lawsuits follow.
“On April 22, 2025, the trade union president and three executives were charged under Section 66(d) at Insein Police Station. Later, they also filed charges against Ma Khin Thu Zar Aung who had been dismissed after being physically assaulted and Daw Myo Myo Aye from STUM page. The charges restrict freedom of expression and publication, and we are demanding their immediate withdrawal,” said one source.
The factory was opened under the name Golden Colour Fashion following the fire at Solamoda factory, reusing the sewing lines and supervisors from the previous operation.
Workers claim that Golden Colour Fashion has been involved in breaching EC contracts, violating labour rights, depriving workers of overtime, abusive language, human rights abuses, forced overtime, requiring unsolicited Messenger app use, withholding wages, coercing workers to sign documents, making arrests, discriminating against union members, dismissing them, and taking ongoing steps to dismantle the union.
