Is enjoyable workplace still too far (or) 2024 May violations
Myanmar Labor News published a total of 81 news items in May. This includes 32 reports of labor rights violations from 28 factories and 4 factories were mentioned twice.
In examining the news reported in Myanmar Labor News from last May, financial cuts, Illegal overtime and verbal abuse were the most common.
If we look at the origins of verbal abuse, we can see that it started with outputs demands. Since the military coup, the workers have not been given an increase in wages, but the factory officials are slanderous demanding to get more outputs. There is always pressure and verbal abuse behind the request to increase the fabric output.
The workers who were verbally abused said that they are working in the workplace without dignity. The Lon John International garment factory demands 4 times more fabric than before, and the supervisors are verbally abusing the workers. In addition, workers have to sign a warning for not meeting the outputs, they are being intimidated for their work.
“They humilated us. They assign many more tasks even if we finish the outputs by working without taking a break. We have to sign a warning if we can’t finish the outputs. They dismiss us with 3 warnings,” a worker said.
The factory located at Su Htue Pan Street, Mingalardone Township, Yangon and owned by a South Korean National. There are more than 600 workers working in the factory manufacturing Lon John Brand Construction suits.
Workers only gave 20 fabrics piece per hour before and they are giving it 80 per hour for now. The workers are being verbally abuse by the supervisors for not finishing the outputs.
Workers of both genders are sexually assaulted and having to work without dignity. Workers “said that justice is not served in these issues as they already have pre-trained workers for the inspections.
“The supervisors already selected workers to tell everything is alright to the inspectors. Therefore, they never see the truth. The workers left suffering. Underage workers are also hired in the workplace. They also cheats the EC contract. Workers can’t bring mobile phones and purses to the factory. Workers don’t know their parents’ emergency issues due to that rule and it even cost someone’s parent’s life. They are making the workers difficult instead of taking action on illegal lottery dealing in the factory under the CCTVs,” they said.
The main responsible people in the verbal abuses are the factory owner and officials. Verbal abuse is happening only because of weak enforcement and the workers are suffering psychologically and physically from that.
According to a study by Myanmar Labour News, brand officials and labor officials inspect many factories that have violated labor rights.
But those inspection organizations have informed the factory in advance about the inspection, so some workers were trained by the factory to lie. Only the workers who have been trained in this way are forced to be inspected by the factory officials.
Inspection of the workers selected by the factory is not an independent inspection and will not solve the difficulties faced by the workers. Therefore, it is necessary for all stakeholders to be aware that there is no decrease in the violation of labor rights in the factory, and that it makes it more difficult to have a enjoyable workplace and to increase production.
News, articles, interviews, analysis and editor’s thoughts about factories, workshops, expatriate Myanmar workers, social and economic are included in 81 articles released by Myanmar Labour News in May. Most of the factories where labor rights violations are reported are garment factories but electronics and color correction factories are also included.
The table shows the factories mentioned in the news.
Four factories that were reported for 2 times are Beaume International Garment https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/beaume-international-garment-factory-workers-stopped-working-to-collectively-demand https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/32-workers-who-tried-to-demand-labor-rights-were-dismissed , Max Technology https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/max-technology-earphones-factory-workers-asked-to-determine-the-bonus-only-with-the-expert-fee , Eternal Fashion Co.,Ltd https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/workers-are-having-a-hard-time-due-to-excessive-overtime https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/eternal-fashion-garment-workers-only-get-two-days-off-a-month and Tha Shu (Myanmar) Glory Fashion https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/insufficient-dinning-space-in-the-tha-shu-myanmar-glory-fashion-and-officials-are-verbally-abusing-the-for-not-getting-the-demanded-output https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/15-clerks-from-tha-shu-garment-factory-are-selected-to-be-inspected factories. Max Technology is a electronic manufacturing factory where the others are garment factories.
26 types of violations were analyzed from the reports published by Myanmar Labour News In May.
Factories with most types of violations among those which are mentioned only once are Lon John International https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/lon-john-international-garment-factory-increase-the-fabric-demands-4-times-and-humiliate-the-workers with 9 types, LITA MYANMAR with 8 types, HUITAI MANUFACTURING (MYANMAR) Co.,Ltd, Myanto Industrail https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/workers-asked-for-excessive-fabric-output-and-not-permitted-to-drink-water-if-they-dont-hit-the-target , Vic song- Myanmar footwear Co.,Ltd https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/vic-song--myanmar-workers-having-to-dine-in-the-same-place-with-animals and Wonderful Apparel Co.Ltd with 7 types of violations.
ACE APPAREL https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/workers-charged-for-job-application-and-physically-assaulted-in-the-workplace , Joc Myanmar https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/joc-myanmar-garment-factory-cutting-the-workers-benefits-and-salaries , RICH PINE INTERNATIONAL GROUP LIMITED https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/garment-factory-in-jordan-didnt-pay-in-accordance-with-the-contract-workers-ask-for-help-for-being-asked-2000-usd-to-come-back-home , Rong Da Garment Company Limited https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/rong-da-garment-company-limited-forcing-the-workers-to-work-overtime have 6 types and Gainway International (Myanmar) Garment Co.,Ltd https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/gainway-international-garment-factory-intimidates-and-scolds-the-workers-who-refuse-to-work-overtime and Eslite Garment https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/eslite-garment-factory-verbally-abusing-the-workers-to-get-more-the-fabric-output have 5 types of violations.
Among the violations of labor rights reported in May, pay cut and denying benefits are the one that occurred the most, 18 times.
Workers are cut after being labeled as absent while they tried to take a leave, cut the expert fee for not working overtime and the attendance bonus as well.
One of the reasons for cutting money was not allowing workers to enjoy legal leaves and it occurred 11 times. 15 overtime calls in violation of the law and 10 cases of workers being discriminated related to working overtime.
Verbal abuse and intimidation occurred 13 times. Lack of clinic, medicine, high working temperature, narrow workspace, damaged toilets and unclean air condition were mentioned 12 times.
It was mentioned one time that a supervisor cut money from the workers, and there were 5 times that the factory issued some rules that were not mutually agreed upon in violation of the EC contract.
In addition, there are 5 factories where workers are forced to work more than 5 hours for 6 consecutive hours.
In May, wage raise occurred and some factories had 2 collective demands by stop working. It was found that there were 9 factories that illegally dismiss workers, including one factory that fired union members. Case that workers were forced to change job types without consent and were not given full rest hours are reported twice each.
There were 3 factories that force the workers to give false answers to inspection organizations. There are 2 factories each that violate the rights of day laborers and force underage workers by not following the law.
Myanmar Labor News classified 26 types of violations of labor rights and found that 20 types of violations occurred in May. In addition, there is an increase case of workers having to work continuously for more than 5 hours.
RICH PINE INTERNATIONAL GROUP LIMITED, a Chinese-owned garment factory based in Jordan was also included in May’s news. This statement was not included in the foreign worker news but described as a violation so that Myanmar workers would pay special attention to it.
One or two of the reported factories have made some changes. Myanmar Labor News noted that brand and labor department officials have conducted inspections of almost all of the listed factories. But workers from who inspected factory unanimously said that there was no significant change with the action.
Therefore, Myanmar Labour News would like to report that we will study the inspection measures to be carried out in the coming months and compile a separate report.
Myanmar Labour Society
Research Team