By Min Ni Kyaw - Jun 02, 2025
Workers say that Preclo Myanmar factory has been pressuring them by repeatedly calling them in for Sunday shifts and overnight overtime, and retaliating against those who refuse. According to the workers, those who do not accept overtime are subjected to “point shifting”—being moved to different sewing tasks such as collars, pockets, sleeves, or zippers—and are also having their production bonuses cut.
“We’re required to work overtime we can’t deny. They say the Sunday work is urgent and force us to come in. They tell us we won’t receive our points the next day if we don’t. They change our task assignment as well if we failed to comply. So even if we don’t want to work overtime, we’re forced to. We have no choice,” they said.
Since the factory uses a ticket-based wage system, workers explained that they only earn more if they accumulate points. Despite working overtime every night, the factory does not provide early morning transportation, so workers must return home at their own expense.
“There’s no morning transport. They make us work OT at night without providing meals or meal allowances. We pay everything ourselves. It’s exhausting, and we don’t even earn extra money,” workers said.
They also said that they lose the production points for their usual sewing position if they miss work for any reason—be it illness or an emergency. As a result, they continue to work even when sick or unwell.
“Whether it’s sick leave or personal emergency, we lose our points if we miss even one day regardless of the reason. There’s no clarity on when or if we’ll get them back. Our salary is low without the points. We can’t rest even when we’re unwell. We still have to work,” they added.
Despite frequent complaints about excessive overtime, workers said the factory only pauses briefly before resuming the same demands.
Preclo Myanmar factory employs around 1,500 workers and is a Chinese national-owned garment factory located at Industrial Street 1, Industrial Zone 1, Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Yangon.
