By Ma Ma - Nov 30, 2024
Workers from FZ Garment Co., Ltd., a Chinese-owned factory located in Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township said that male workers who have been employed for long periods are not being promoted to permanent employee status. Moreover, while social security contributions are deducted from their wages, workers are not allowed to take medical leave, according to factory employees.
The factory, which employs over 600 workers, manufactures fashion brands such as SEA BARRIER, YES-ZEE, and KOTON. It does not have a trade union, leaving workers without a formal avenue to address their grievances.
“There are around 60 underage workers who are 14, 15, or 16 years old. They work without medical certificates or proper documentation. Young workers and male workers are never promoted to salaried positions regardless of their length of service. They are called and made to work only when work is busy, but terminated when work slows down. The employer doesn’t grant them leave if they have family emergencies or need medical leave. They can’t take leave even though they contribute to social security every month, They lose not only their daily wage and subsidy of 9,000 MMK but also the attendance bonus of 30,000 MMK if they miss a day of work,” a worker explained.
Workers also report that excessive output demands are being imposed. For example, a production line with 40 workers is required to produce 40 garments per hour. If these quotas are not met, supervisors shout loudly enough for the entire factory to hear, creating a toxic environment.
The factory primarily produces jackets, pants and coats, which are difficult to sew and require skill and attention. Workers say that meeting the one-sided target is almost impossible.
“Supervisors scold the worker and often don’t grant the pass if they needs a gate pass for a family emergency. Workers can be terminated at any time if the employer is dissatisfied during the six-month probation period. Sundays are not treated as proper rest days; workers are forced to work overtime. Those who refuse overtime are punished by having their expert fees reduced or being fired. Regular weekday overtime lasts until 9 PM. Even though there is a WCC committee in the factory, it was appointed by the employer, so it doesn’t help us at all,” a worker said.
Workers also highlighted poor working conditions, such as unsanitary toilets and the absence of a nurse in the factory’s clinic. They mentioned that they are funneled through narrow doorways wide about 3 feet, causing congestion. Insufficient ferry transport means female workers often have to cling onto overcrowded vehicles to commute. The factory enforces one-sided rules, requiring workers to sign acknowledgment forms for regulations they find unreasonable.
Workers have reached out to the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) for assistance in resolving these issues and the demands are to stop forcing mandatory overtime every Sunday, to set realistic production targets that workers can reasonably achieve, to end the practice of firing workers for refusing to work overtime, to prevent supervisors from verbally abusing workers when imposing output demands, to promote male workers to permanent employee status, to grant workers leave and benefits according to labor laws and to address the challenges with inadequate transportation for commuting workers.
