By Myo Thein - Nov 21, 2025
Workers at Myanmar Bestfortune Garment Co., Ltd. say the factory is violating Myanmar labor laws by imposing excessive workloads, according to the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).
They report that the factory forces them to work beyond the legally prescribed working hours, rest time, and wage-related standards.
“We have to do overtime nearly every day with no breaks. We were made to work overtime even during the three-day Thadingyut holiday. Between 200 to 300 workers have to work until 9 PM every night. We work until midnight on Saturdays. We’re required to work overtime every two weeks on Sundays,” said a female worker at the factory.
The factory does not pay double wages as required by law and instead pays them the regular rate although workers are made to work on public holidays, workers said.
Due to long working hours and lack of rest, workers reportedly suffer from symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, chest tightness, and fevers on a daily basis.
The factory announced an additional support payment of 1,000 kyats on October 14, 2025. However, workers said this was simply rebranded under the existing daily wage of 12,000 kyats and not an actual increase.
“They didn’t increase the wage. They just renamed a portion of our existing pay as a 'support allowance'. It’s just a label change by the factory,” workers said.
Although over 800 workers depend on the provided transportation, the number of shuttle buses is not sufficient, forcing workers to travel in overcrowded conditions daily. Workers also said they face difficulties during wage disbursement as payment is only made after working hours.
“If a vehicle is meant to carry 30 people, they pack in 50. They don’t provide more vehicles or expand the routes. Workers have to scramble to board. Since they only give wages after the end of work, we have to run to catch the ferry transport. The factory won’t take responsibility if we complain, ,” they said.
Although the factory’s official start time is 7:30 AM, workers said they are required to enter 15 minutes early for mandatory meetings, cutting into their rest time. Even though there is a WCC (Workplace Coordination Committee) in place, workers claim it does nothing to resolve these violations and they continue to suffer.
“Meetings before work take place during workers’ break time. If we’re late, we get scolded and shouted at. The WCC is factory-formed. Even though workers are facing legal violations, when we ask questions, we get no solutions or support,” they said.
Myanmar Bestfortune Garment Co., Ltd. is a garment factory employing over 800 workers and is locally known as "Han San 2". It is located in Kyauk Sein Road, Thardukan Industrial Zone, Shwe Pyi Thar Township, and owned by Chinese citizens.
