By Labour Citizen Journalist - Sep 30, 2024

Workers said that Hlaing Thar Yar Township labour office failed to address and take actions to labour right violating issues they complaints.

“I reported to the western office. But they don’t accept the letters and told us that they will call our factory,” said a worker who is dismissed.

Workers said that they are being exploited, physically assaulted, recruited overtime which exceeds than the legal limit, sexually harassed and violated labour rights.

“We once complaint to the western township labour office. But the officers only told us that we are wrong although they are knowing that the employers are violating,” said a worker.

Workers said that their complaints doesn’t matter although labour right violations are occurring day by day. This fact makes the workers lose their trust on labour authorities.

“We are working overtime more than 40 hours a week and we are verbally abused and dismissed if we refused to. When we report to the authorities, the information of reporters are informed to the factory even before we arrived back home. The factory is already planned to dismissed us. That’s how realiable and trustworthy the labour offices are,” said a worker who was dismissed from their job.

A labour activist said that the labour offices buy times and inform the factory about the details of the reporters.

“They told to address the problem via WCC but WCC never worked. The worker remained status quo and the factory official doesn’t resolve. The workers are transferred and when they complaint another case its delayed again. Workers can’t survive in the workplace during this crisis,” they said.

Workers are also suffering from mental anxieties due to labour offices failure and delays to address the violations.

Workers said that similar case also happened at the Hlaing Thar Yar Eastern labour offices and the employers they fear are actually the superiors of the labour authorities.