By Hsu Latt Phyu - Sep 16, 2024

Workers from Myanmar SHIN WON GARMENT factory which employes around 500 workers said that they don’t get access to legal leaves, are cut for taking leave, being forced to work excessive overtime and day laborers are dismissed and told to reapply the job after three months.

The factory is located at Nyaung Ywar Road, Industrial Zone 2, Hlaing Thar Yar Township. The factory is owned by a Chinese national and doesn’t have a trade union.

The jacket manufacturing factory doesn’t allow to take legal leaves and cut 6,800 kyats daily wages, 1,000 kyats subsidy, 50,000 kyats attendance bonus and grade bonus according to their level for a day of absent whether workers inform to take or not.

A production line with 40 people including supervisor and helper are asked for 30 jackets per hour. The workers who don’t accomplish are verbally abused and humiliated in public. The workers are having difficulties to finish the jackets demands as they are heavy, difficult to make. They are called mid-night and all-night due to not finishing the demands although they word without a break.

“The supervisors force us to work mid-night and all-night overtime. We also have to work all-night overtime mandatorily on Saturdays. We are treated with malice and humiliated if we don’t,” workers explained

The day laborers are paid only 5,800 kyats daily wages but no other benefits such as attendance bonus, leaves and expert fees. Day laborers are dismissed and made to reapply the job after three months.

The workers are hoping a employer-employee fair workplace in accordance with the law and their demands are

1.       To allow the legal leaves

2.     To not force mid-night and all-night overtimes

3.      To not dismiss the day laborers without any valid reasons

To ask only for the fabric output that inline with the workers’ productivity