Myo Thein
Jan 11, 2026

Workers at the Sen Yu garment factory in Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone said negotiations over their demands failed, as the factory management made no concessions at all. Workers said they raised four demands today, including wage increases.

“The factory side refused all demands and said they could not do anything. The officials from the Labour Department who came to negotiate also said they would not continue mediation and told us to file a formal complaint on an official working day,” workers said.

According to a worker, the demands include raising the daily wage to 12,000 kyats, increasing overtime pay to 2,500 kyats per hour, and dismissing the line manager and supervisor who are accused of unfair oppression in the workplace.

“We started making demands on the 7th. Negotiations were held yesterday and today. Previously, we were only earning 10,000 kyats per day, so we asked for an increase. The supervisor and manager manipulate everything inside the factory; wage increases, wage cuts, and dismissals are done at their discretion. Workers are afraid of them, so the pressure is extremely high. Now that negotiations failed, it’s because labour officials also did not negotiate patiently,” workers said.

During the demands, security forces and Labour Department officials arrived at the site. Workers said around 400 workers are currently participating, and that they staged overnight protests.

“During this demand period, the factory tried to move containers out. If the containers were moved, our demands would not be met, so we stayed overnight at the site of the protest. Even then, the factory side committed physical acts against us, right in front of security forces,” workers said.

The Sen Yu Garment factory is located near the Shwe Lin Ban Roundabout, Bhamo Atwinwun Road, Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone, Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon. It is owned by Chinese citizen and employs around 1,000 workers.