By Min Ni Kyaw - Apr 30, 2025
I would like to share information about the situation at Myanmar LNY CAPS Co., Ltd (cap factory), Factory (1). The factory provides a Thingyan bonus every year, but the situation has changed this year. Normally, all employees receive Thingyan bonus payments, distributed based on years of service. In previous year, supervisors and leaders excluded themselves, and the factory gave 40,000 kyats to each worker. For example, a worker with three years of service received 30,000 kyats for service and an additional 40,000 kyats as the Thingyan bonus, totaling 70,000 kyats.
However, this year the employer said they feared workers might not return after the Thingyan holiday, so they only gave half of the bonus in advance. They promised to pay the remaining half after workers returned to work.
Although the return-to-work date was April 22, the remaining bonus was not paid that day. It was instead paid on April 23—and even then, only half of the remaining amount was paid.
Workers without any service years received only 20,000 kyats and were not paid the rest on April 23 either. When they asked, they were told it would be paid at the end of the month due to fears they might move to other factories.
Currently, the manager of Factory (1) has resigned, and the manager from Factory (2) is overseeing operations. The full Thingyan bonus was distributed before the holiday under the former manager. This new partial payment system is not acceptable.
We, the workers, just want to receive our full bonus in one go. We worked hard all year for it and have been committed to our jobs for a long time.
The factory also constantly increases production targets and demands excessive overtime under the pretext of operational needs. Workers are pressured to do overtime even if they decline, and supervisors and leaders apply strong pressure. We are also made to work overtime on public holidays. On most Saturdays, we work until 6:30 p.m.
It is never granted when we have urgent matters and try to request one or two hours of early leave. We only ask occasionally, and not regularly. But when we do, we are humiliated in front of other workers and denied.
We do not know whom to ask for help, so I am writing this.
(#Details: Myanmar LNY CAPS Co., Ltd (cap factory), Factory (1), is located on near the BOC bus stop, Malikha Road, Shwe Than Lwin Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon. The factory reportedly employs over 700 workers and manufactures branded caps such as 47 CLEAN UP, FITCAP, OTTO, and CAPAMERICA, according to the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar - IWFM.)
