By Yoon Sat - Jul 31, 2024
The workers who are working in factories are having a hard time due to the forced recruitment of overtime while there are floods in many regions in Myanmar.
The water level of the rivers are rising above the alarming level, and the rivers and streams are overflowing, and the villages and towns are being flooded. In this situation, due to water intrusion into the homes, there is no time to take safety measures as they are working overtime for the stability of their employment.
“It is very difficult to cook at home during the flood. I get home from work at 7pm. My wife has more overtime until 8:00 p.m. Due to heavy raining and flooding water, so it's not easy to pick her up and I can't leave my son alone at home. Everything is difficult. I told my wife not to work overtime but she’s worry about being dismissed not the overtime wages. Its her difficulty so I don’t want to tell more. I think the employer should understand more during these times. Other workers are also facing the same situations with us,” said a flood evacuee worker from New Dagon City Eastern Ward.
Workers have to walk through the water if they went back home late due to overtime during the flood.
The workers reported that they are still working overtime although they have requested to let them go back at 4 p.m. without overtime because there may be unseen dangers.
The floods are currently occurring in Bago, Irrawaddy, Yangon Regions and Karen and Rakhine State. In Yangon Region, water intrusion is also occurring in industrial zone areas.
“Workers are not sympathized even though Hlaing Thar Yar and Shwe Pyi Thar regions are flooding. They are facing difficulties due to excessive overtime. It is not strange to call overtime during normal time but for now it is flooding. Floods are also faced by mostly the basic class people. They are working due to the livelihoods. How will it be convenient to walk through water on way back home? At this time, workers should not be forced to work overtime,” said a local labor activist.
The Xinda Home Textile Myanmar Co.,Ltd which is from Kantharyar Street, Industrial Zone 1, Hlaing Thar Yar which is among the factories from Shwe Pyi Thar which call overtime said that the factory manager didn’t allow the workers whose houses are flooding to go back at 4:00 p.m. and close the factory’s doors on July 27th.
