By Ma Ma - Nov 13, 2024
Workers from Chinese owned SHAN DOIVG HUAYI (MYANMAR INDUSTRY CO., LTD) factory said that an interpreter is managing the factory without legal authority, and output demands are set higher than what workers can realistically achieve
The SHAN DOIVG HUAYI (MYANMAR INDUSTRY CO., LTD) factory, owned by a Chinese national, operates in the Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone in Hlaing Thar Yar Township, employing over 600 workers. Workers are tasked with sewing combined items like pants and jackets for a Japanese brand.
“There are 40 people per line, and they are asking us to produce over 50 pieces per hour. Each worker has to sew about 2 to 3 points per garment. Since its Japanese products, there’s detailed work involved. It’s hard to meet their target. If we don’t meet their output demands, we’re forced to work overtime for free until midnight. If workers refuse overtime, the female interpreter calls them in and scolds them. She even threatens to fire those who don’t comply. There’s no manager or HR in the factory,” one worker explained.
Due to the factory’s failure to provide legally mandated benefits, workers reportedly face deductions of about 40,000 kyats for even a single missed day of work.
Additionally, the factory employs over 40 underage day workers. While management promises to hire them as permanent employees after three months, they instead end up dismissing workers.
“We receive 8,000 kyats per day, including allowance and attendance bonuses. On days off, we’re only paid 6,800 kyats. Overtime is paid at 1,700 kyats per hour, and workers with multi-point skills receive an extra 20,000 kyats along with a regular bonus of 30,000 kyats. However, if there are no orders, they close the factory on Sundays and Mondays without consulting the workers. When orders come in, they call us back whenever they want, treating days off however they please,” workers reported.
The factory environment also has several issues: inadequate ventilation due to a lack of fans, insufficient drinking water, no medicine in the clinic, unsanitary toilets, no lighting on the path to the toilets, and overcrowded ferry buses for transportation.
Workers have reached out to the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) for assistance regarding the poor conditions in the factory.
The workers’ requests include improvements to toilet facilities, fair scheduling for work days off based on order demands rather than the employer’s discretion, solutions for transportation difficulties, job security for workers completing their three-month probation without arbitrary dismissal, access to legally mandated leave, realistic production targets, and an end to the abusive language and unauthorized control by the female interpreter.
