By Hsu Latt Phyu - Feb 16, 2025
Workers from the SAFETY CLOTHING garment factory, located in Mya Sein Yaung Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon Region, say they are working under constant fear due to frequent dismissals without strong justification.
The factory is owned by a Chinese national and operates with over 200 workers, manufacturing brands such as Vis Team and ROLYWRE.
It is reported that there is no trade union established within the workplace.
The designated working hours are from 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM, and the factory has been in operation for just over two months.
The wage structure for sewing workers includes a daily wage of 4,800 MMK plus 3,000 MMK, totaling 7,800 MMK, along with a monthly attendance bonus of 70,000 MMK and a per-piece production bonus. However, the attendance bonus of 30,000 MMK and the daily wage are deducted if a worker is absent for a day, resulting in a total deduction of 37,800 MMK.
Other workers also face deductions, though at a lower rate than sewing workers, and report experiencing financial losses due to similar deduction policies.
Regarding labor rights violations, workers claim that they are frequently dismissed without strong justification or prior notice, which causes anxiety in the workplace.
“Apart from full-time workers, the factory also hires daily wage workers and pays them 6,800 MMK per day. They are required to work without receiving overtime pay on Saturdays and Sundays. Underage workers are also employed without medical approval. In addition, the factory dismisses workers at will without providing overtime wages,” said a worker from the factory.
Workers further report that they are pressured to meet unrealistic production targets. They face verbal abuse and threats of dismissal if they fail to do.
“They tell us to leave and find work elsewhere if we don’t meet their production targets. They fire a worker who they don’t like immediately. We don’t receive any benefits since the factory has not been in operation for long. Taking leave due to illness is counted as unpaid leave,” said another worker.
Additionally, workers face poor workplace conditions, including unclean drinking water and inadequate medical supplies in the factory’s clinic. They demand that the relevant authorities address these labour rights violations and have also filed complaints with the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).
The workers’ demands are as follows:
- Stop unjustified and unreasonable dismissals of workers.
- Reinstate dismissed workers.
- Provide clean drinking water.
- Ensure equal benefits for daily wage workers and calculate overtime pay for work done on Saturdays and Sundays based on legal requirements.
