Myo Thein
According to the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM), Haejii (Myanmar) apparel (garment) factory is denying workers leave and leave benefits, marking absences and deducting wages.
“If a worker is marked absent, their daily wage is deducted at Haejii (Myanmar). On top of that, attendance bonuses are also cut. Skill allowances are reduced as well. What is even worse is that workplace health and safety are completely neglected,” an IWFM official said.
Workers said they are required to work three hours of overtime every day. The factory has set the daily wage at 10,000 kyats, overtime pay at 2,200 kyats per hour, grade bonuses ranging from 100,000 kyats for A+ to 30,000 kyats for C, and an attendance bonus of 40,000 kyats. However, if a worker is marked absent, they lose all of these designated payments.
“Even if we ask for leave, they don’t give it. We can’t get gate passes either. Once we are marked absent, our daily wage and attendance bonus are deducted, and our skill grade is downgraded by one level. Losing one day means a huge amount is cut,” a worker said.
Workers also reported that workplace health care exists in name only, and that they are forced to handle emergencies on their own.
“There is a clinic in the factory, but there is no nurse. There are no medicines at all for emergencies. When inspections come, they just show that a clinic exists. But even in accidents, the clinic has nothing. If there is an emergency and we go to an outside clinic, we have to pay with our own money,” a worker said.
Workers said there is not enough drinking water at the workplace, and that toilets are also unsanitary. In addition, dangerous animals have entered the factory compound, making the workplace unsafe.
“The factory buys purified water, but it’s not enough and water is often cut off. The toilets are mostly dirty and frequently broken. At night, snakes have entered the factory. The boiler’s exhaust chimney is too low, so workers have to breathe in fumes and smoke while working,” workers said.
They also reported that production targets are set beyond what workers can realistically achieve, and that when targets are not met, responsible staff verbally abuse workers.
“There are no chairs provided for inspectors. Some inspectors and workers have fainted or collapsed. Factory management only focuses on meeting production targets. Whatever happens to workers, they act as if it’s not their responsibility,” a worker said.
Workers added that management selectively chooses who must work overtime, sometimes without paying overtime wages, and restricts workers’ rights.
“They pick and choose workers for night overtime. Then we end up working without being paid overtime. Some workers quit because they don’t want to continue under these conditions. There are even cases where the factory tells other factories not to hire workers who resigned from here,” a worker said.
Haejii (Myanmar) apparel (garment) factory is located on Mya Khwar Nyo Road, Myasein Yaung Industrial Zone, Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon. It is a Chinese citizen-owned factory employing more than 400 workers, and is manufacturing brands including Converse and AK.
