Pay cut for leave or 2024 September Violations

Myanmar Labour News Website uploaded 119 news items in September including violations upon workers at 26 businesses and factory. The factories we reported were garment factories with significant labour force except a security service company.

Myanmar Labour News focused on labour right violations and discrimination based on gender regarding the cases. The news were cited from labour activists, trade unions, federation and workers themselves.

Garment factories including bag factories involved in September’s violations. The main violations were cutting the wages and benefits.

There are 17 factories which is reported for cutting wages and benefits for taking leave among the 26 factories we reported.

 Lian Fa ( myanmar) Company is one of them. The factory locates at Minayar Street, Shwe Than Lwin Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar (Eastern) township, Yangon and hires 300 workers.

A worker said that the factory cut for both Saturday and Sunday wages if a worker take leaves for Satruday.

A labour activist said that “The law says that workers must be given for Sunday if they work 44 hours a day. We have to check if the workers absent on Saturday or informed to take leave. If they inform to take leave on Saturday and got cut for Sunday it is violation of the law.”

The employee must have a day off and must be paid wages for that day as well after working every working day of that week.

Full News >>> https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/lian-fa-myanmar-garment-factory-failed-to-give-the-subsidy-instructed-by-the-ministry

Workers from MENGYUE Garment factory which located at No -, Mya Taung Wun Gyi U Mo Road, Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar township said that the factory is violating their cutting their wages and benefits for leave. The factory owned by a Chinese national hires more than 200 workers and manufacturing PALLTEX brand chef uniforms.

In addition to not being allowed to leave, one of the workers said that the benefits are cut if they  resign.

“They said they will give us 6,800 kyats daily wages, 2,000 kyats daily subsidy; a total of 8,800 kyats per day and 1,400 kyats per hour for overtime. Workers who resigned are not paid the subsidy and told that they can complaint at anywhere,” workers stated.

Our news also reported that workers are cut their attendance bonus and benefits for taking gate passes.

There are 14 factories which doesn’t allow workers to take leave in September making them half the quantity of total factories which are reported.

Full News >>> https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/mengyue-garment-factory-hires-the-workers-without-employment-and-cut-those-who-resigned

Findings

The most violating categories in September that we reported is overtime violations which workers from 18 factories complaint.

Other violations are illegal pay cut and verbal abuse which was reported 18 times. 17 factory illegally pay cut and 16 factories practiced verbal abuse in the factory.

Another violation that occurred frequently is asking for excessive fabric outputs that exceeds the workers’ productivity. 15 news items from 13 factories were reported regarding this issue. The violation that reported the same frequency with the former is discrimination. 14 factories were reported 15 times for discrimination between female superiors and sub-ordinates.

Following these categories, 6 factories were reported for not signing employment contract, 5 factories for forcing workers to work continuously for 6 hours, 3 factories for violating pregnant workers, 3 factories for abusing child labour law, 2 factories for allowing foreigner to manage the factory directly, 2 factories for sexual harassment, 2 factories for suppressing and discriminating the trade union, 1 factory for pay cut without consent, 1 factory for workplace incident and 1 factory for not allowing enough break time.

Myanmar Labour News classified labour right violations into 26 categories and 20 of them are founded in September.

Tai Hong Garment factory is the found the most abusing factory with 12 types of violations

Full News >>> https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/tai-hong-garment-factory-workers-suffering-from-workplace-violations

Resettlement was reached after Tai Hong Garment factory officials negotiated with workers

At the second place is Myanmar Sinyoung Fashion Clothes Co.,Ltd which violates 10 categories

Full News >>> https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/excessive-overtime-recruitment-at-myanmar-sinyoung-clothes-fashion-garment-factory

The two factories were both reported twice in September.

Ten Da Garment factory https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/letter-from-wonderful-apparel-workers  and Wonderful Apparel Garment factory violates 9 categories in September

Prettex Myanmar https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/prettex-myanmar-garment-factory-violated-the-employment-contract-and-workers-who-explained-about-the-difficulties-were-pressurized-to-resign , He Met Company limited https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/more-than-1000-workers-who-work-overtime-until-1200-am-for-two-months-were-not-paid-and-pregnant-workers-were-dismissed-without-getting-maternal-leave  and Beaume international Garment Mfg Limited violates 8 categories while Best Choice Garment Co.,Ltd https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/forcing-to-work-all-month-without-a-day-off-and-verbally-abuse , Bohua Fashion garment and Myanmar SHIN WON GARMENT factory https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/myanmar-shin-won-garment-forcing-excessive-overtime violates 7 categories.

BEST GARMENT (LAOS), Eternal Fashion Co.LTD, Golden Colour Fashion Myanmar and KSENG Myanmar  https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/letter-from-ksheng-myanmar-apparel-garment-factory violates 6 categories and Best Garment factory locates at Laos and hires Myanmar workers.

There are 5 factories which violates 4 categories and they are Sen Yu Clothing Myanmar https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/workers-work-stopping-collective-demand-for-excessive-overtime-is-threatened-and-suppressed , Newell ( Myanmar ) Co.Ltd https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/newwell-garment-factory-pressurize-the-workers-to-resign-without-signing-employment-contract , MENGYUE GARMENT, Lian Fa(Myanmar) Company https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/mengyue-garment-factory-hires-the-workers-without-employment-and-cut-those-who-resigned  and Gysen Myanmar factory https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/en/posts/employer-signed-commitment-eliminate-verbal-abuse . Gysen Myanmar factory where supervisors and employer had to sign in witness of township chief labour officer to not verbally abuse the workers was reported 2 times.

BONTECH Manufacturing Company is owned by a Chinese national and hires around 700 workers. The factory violates 3 categories and manufactures GUARD, PIONEER, Tech-Wear, VIZWELL brand apparals.

Nyein Hsu Latt Security company detained some employes to pay compensation and AYY garment factory violates 2 categories,

New Plus factory has been reported rapidly for overtime abuses and they committed again in September.

Factories and businesses reported in September 2024

Review

It is mentioned aboved that overtime violation is the most occurred violation in September. Some factories forced workers to sleep unproperly at the factory after calling overtime for all night. Some factories take them home with transportation at 5:00 am and workers had to come back between 7:00 and 8:00 am.

We don’t see that factories allow leave for being late or health issues. Workers are entitled to paid leave according to Myanmar Labour Law but workers in certain factories are benefiting.

Some factories doesn’t give the subsidy directed by the ministry to pay.

Workers had to work continuously for 6 hours and discriminated by the superiors for not working overtime. We witnessed that factory officials doesn’t take actions on these kinds of violations but instead participated.

Day laborers and underage workers are hired and workplace incidents are happening. Workers are also facing unbalanced temperature, unpurified water and insanity toilet problems.

Factories doesn’t try to improve although labour officers investigate for violation on employment contract. Workers are being legally sexually harassed, managed directly by foreigners and not getting enough break time.

Encouragement

Statements by the Solidarity of Trade Unions, Myanmar - STUM and the statements of workers who came to Myanmar Labor News themselves have evidence that they are being forced to work overtime until mid-night or all night.

But there are no actions for violations and it is not clear how the process is carried out. Due to this situation, factory officials and employer continue to violate the workers.

Myanmar Labor News sees that workers need to complaint and report the violations instead of being used to it and this might help justify the abuses.

Workers only report direct impact to them and Myanmar Labor News also urged the federations and helping organizations to disclose details regarding the workers’ damages.