By Min Ni Kyaw - Nov 09, 2024

Workers from Great Summer Myanmar Garment Co., Ltd., which located at Mya Seing Yaung Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon report that they are called to work overtime on public holidays and they often have to wait a long time for the transportation to take them home, leading to late-night returns.

"We have to wait half an hour for the ferry after work and by the time we get home, it’s already 9 p.m. We’re afraid of getting kidnapped at night, and we also worry about the drivers," said one worker.

The daily working hours are from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., but due to the extended wait for the transportation, workers report returning home late at night. Despite complaints and negotiations, the managers does not take seriously without addressing the issue, workers say.

"Our workday starts at 8 a.m., but we arrive at the factory at 7 a.m. Inside the factory, there are Hua Fu, Devalian and Yee Xinda factories in the same compound. Only this factory requires us to leave at night. The drivers are unsympathetic, often insulting us. When we bring this up, the factory manager tells us that we should just leave the job if we’re unhappy, saying the factory won’t suffer losses, only we will," workers explained.

The workers fear that strict factory policies and wage exploitations would threaten their livelihoods. The factory may demote their grade level, which affects their wages if they miss a day of work.

"A grade level demotion means we lose 40,000 to 50,000 kyats. And if we’re sick, we can't even get outside medical treatment. The HR staff are rude and disrespectful to us," said another worker.

They also report that their drinking water supply is inconsistent, avaliable only on some days, which is affecting their health.

Great Summer Myanmar Garment Co., Ltd. is a Chinese-owned factory employing around 3,000 workers and manufacturing FieldCore brand.