By Yoon Satt - Apr 13, 2024
Garment workers from Yangon Industrial zones are having to work overtime at weekends and public holidays according to the workers.
“They are working overtime at weekend day offs and public holidays. Some factories called overtime in addition of the substitute days for Thingyan and workers don’t want to work and they have to request to the department of labor for help,” said a local labor activist.
The workers also said that they are forced to work overtime on the grounds of fabric deadlines during the 9 days of Thingyan holidays.
The workers said that it was since the end of February the factories force to work substitute days for Thingyan holidays including public holidays such as peasants’ day, army’s day and weekend day offs.
“Our factory started to call substitute days for Thingyan holidays at the last Sunday of February and it includes all four days offs of March. Only overtime wages are given but the factories didn’t double the wages of the substitute days,” said a worker.
The workers said that due to the replacement of weekends and public holidays, they have to go to work without a day off, and some factories are forcing to work all night overtimes too.
Even though the labor office has not allowed such unfair overtime work, 90 percent of garment factories are forced to work replacement days for the Thingyan holidays. Labor activists said that there were complaints to the labor office as some garment factories forced the workers to work without a single day off continuously for 20 days.
