By Myo Thein
Feb 17, 2026
Workers at the Golden & Five Myanmar Co., Ltd garment factory say the company has been abusing written warning procedures to dismiss employees without valid justification.
According to workers, management has required employees to sign warning letters for minor disputes, including when they attempted to explain workplace concerns to supervisors. Employees are reportedly terminated immediately after receiving three warnings.
“They forced us to sign warning letters just for responding when supervisors spoke to us. They fire us right away once we reach three warnings. This month, when a worker from the Cutting department was dismissed without fault, a male employee who spoke up about it was told he had no right to intervene and was dismissed with three months’ salary,” one worker said.
Labor rights activists say terminating workers for speaking up about workplace issues or defending labor rights constitutes unfair dismissal. They also argue that forcing workers to sign warning letters without accepting their explanations and then using those warnings as grounds for termination amounts to an abuse of authority.
Employers are required to provide valid and substantiated reasons for termination under employment agreements (EC contracts). Arbitrary dismissals, activists say, violate these agreements.
The Golden & Five Myanmar factory is located in Hlaingtharyar Township’s Mya Sein Yaung Industrial Zone in Yangon. Workers say more than 800 employees work at the factory, including over 200 daily-wage workers between the ages of 13 and 15.
Workers allege that management sets production targets that exceed what employees can realistically complete. If targets are not met, workers are reportedly required to work overtime.
“They demand unfair production quotas. They ask for more than 80 pieces with 20 people on a line. If we can’t meet the target, they force us to work overtime late into the night,” a worker said.
Employees also claim that despite becoming ill due to extended overtime, they are denied casual leave and medical leave. Instead, their wages are deducted.
“When we get sick because of overtime and apply for leave, they don’t approve it. They mark us absent and deduct 11,500 kyats for daily wages and 40,000 kyats for attendance bonuses,” a worker said.
In January, workers from non-sewing departments at the factory reportedly demanded wage increases. Workers also said the factory is Chinese citizen-owned and produces garments under the “fhdfhds” brand.
