By Yoon Sat - Jan 23, 2025

The Japanese-owned Honeys Garment Factory, which had terminated over 400 workers without providing severance pay, had filed a lawsuit against a labor rights advocate demanding nearly 200 million Kyats. After seven years, the case has now been closed, according to reports.

In 2017, the Japanese-owned Honeys Garment Factory terminated over 400 workers following their demands for labor rights. This led to protests involving thousands of workers. The labor advocate, Daw Myo Myo Aye, who supported the affected workers, was subsequently sued by the factory for alleged damages amounting to 188.8 million Kyats.

The case reached a new stage after over seven years of legal proceedings, during which witnesses and evidence were waited for review. On January 22, it was reported that the factory, as the plaintiff, submitted a request to the court to withdraw the lawsuit, stating that it no longer wished to pursue the case. As a result, the court approved the dismissal of the case without any conditions.

"They didn’t compensate the workers properly. They sued for compensation claiming it was due to order cancellations. The case was dismissed after Human Rights Now released a statement," it was explained.

The Honeys Garment Factory, located in Mingaladon Township, had terminated over 400 workers. In response, more than a thousand workers protested with vinyl posters displaying messages demanding an end to unjust dismissals, the restoration of legal labor rights, and the cessation of discriminatory practices. They also demanded reinstatement of terminated workers into their workplaces.