By Hsu Latt Phyu - Nov 05, 2025
Workers at SHINS SUNG (6) garment factory, which employs nearly 2,000 people, have reported a lack of knowledge about their legal workplace rights, such as casual leave, earned leave, and the role of the Workplace Coordination Committee (WCC). As a result, many are losing entitled benefits and facing labor rights violations, according to a complaint submitted to the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).
Workers stated that fingerprint scanning is required for attendance. If the fingerprint system fails or a worker clock in late, deductions are made from their wages. There have also been cases where leave is not granted, earned leave is monetized and not properly counted, and deductions are taken for unclear reasons. Additionally, they raised concerns about the factory's on-site clinic lacking medicine and poor hygiene conditions in restrooms.
The factory, owned by South Korean nationals and located on Daw Phwar Shin Road, Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon, manufacture long pants for TOPTEN and POLHAM brands and employs around 1,700 workers.
Workers report that it was formed by the factory management and is not functioning independently although the factory has a WCC. Many workers are unaware of the committee’s existence or its purpose.
"The main issue is that workers are required to scan their fingerprints upon arrival, and line clerks also manually record attendance. They deduct 30% from the daily wage, if the system fails or the worker arrives late, even if it's not the worker’s fault. They call it a 'system issue' and make wage cuts. We want fair compensation for this lost income," a worker said.
Another issue is that tardiness results in not just wage deductions but also cuts to daily incentives and overtime pay, causing significant financial loss.
“Most workers don’t even know they’re entitled to casual leave. Some who do know still don't get approval. We get the social security leave. For seniority leave, the factory deducts 10 days’ worth of wages in advance and only pays back one day per month. But at the end of the year, they only calculate 8 days of leave instead of 10. When we ask, managers and HR say ‘That’s just how the factory operates,’ which is not fair,” a worker added.
Workers also stated that if they don’t explicitly request their earned leave, it isn’t granted, and some who request it are still denied under various pretexts.
There have also been serious workplace accidents. In one case, a worker lost a finger due to injury, but because they had worked less than six months, the factory denied medical care and instead provided compensation and terminated them. Workers say these actions violate basic rights and leave injured employees vulnerable.
In addition to labor rights violations, production targets are set higher than workers can reasonably meet, and if staffing levels are low, pressure to meet quotas intensifies.
Workers further stated that their salaries are subjected to income tax deductions without clear explanation, and no one dares to ask for clarification. As the WCC is formed and controlled by factory supervisors, many workers are unaware of the committee’s existence or role.
In light of these issues, workers are now calling for solutions and improvements in the factory’s management of labor rights.
Workers’ Demands:
- No wage deduction for attendance issues due to fingerprint failure. Past deductions should be compensated via back pay.
- Accurate calculation of earned leave per year. Stop deducting earned leave in advance and compensate for any missing days.
- Do not deduct wages when workers use their legally entitled leave days.
- Deductions for tardiness should only be taken from daily incentives, not across multiple pay categories.
- Improve the factory clinic by stocking basic and injury-related medicine, and assign a doctor instead of just a nurse due to the large workforce.
- Repair and maintain restrooms, which are currently unhygienic and damaged.
