By Myo Thein - Aug 11, 2025
The male line manager at Qianshi Industrial Limited garment factory, has been verbally abusing female sewing workers and also engaging in sexual harassment, according to workers.
“The line manager is a man. He insults the female workers in many ways. We get cursed at so badly it’s hard to even say the words out loud. One word we always hear is ‘wh**e’. He also touches women’s bodies. Many have quit out of shame. When the name Kyaw Wunna, the line manager, is heard, the women are already scared. People don’t even apply for jobs anymore when they hear his name,” one female worker said.
The factory employs over 600 workers, most of them women. Workers said they have reported the line manager’s abuse to the factory in-charge, but no action was taken, and instead the in-charge herself also shouts, insults, and threatens them.
“Nothing is done when we complain. The factory in-charge, a Chinese woman, is on his side. She threatens workers, saying the factory is closed with the military. She says she care nobody. She shouts and curses when we can’t produce enough garments,” a worker said.
Workers said that in one sewing line of about 30 workers, the factory demands up to 100 woolen jackets a day. If targets aren’t met, they are also made to work overtime.
“In our line, we have to sew more than 100 pieces an hour. Woolen jackets are heavy and hard to sew. When we can’t meet the target, we have to work all-in or overnight. On top of that, we have to work overtime on Sundays and public holidays too,” workers said.
Workers also said that they do not get proper leave entitlements, and when they miss a day, the factory deducts wages and some benefits. They also lose their annual leave and casual leave payments.
“They deduct daily wage and attendance bonus, totaling 22,000 kyats if we miss one day. They say they will allow along with the annual leave if we don’t take casual leave, but after one year, they combine the 10 days of annual leave and 6 days of casual leave into 10 days total and pay only 6,800 kyats. Those who don’t take casual leave lose out. We never actually get the leave,” they said.
Workers are entitled to 10 days of annual leave and 6 days of casual leave each year under the labor law. Workers also said the factory does not give the full daily wage rate of 11,000 kyats equally to everyone, with some receiving only 10,000 kyats.
Workers reported difficulties in accessing drinking water, and that there are no working fans installed, forcing them to endure extreme heat.
Qianshi Industrial Limited factory is located on Kanaung (3) Street, Shwepyithar Township, Yangon, and is Chinese citizen-owned. According to information from February 2024, the factory has neither a Workplace Coordinating Committee (WCC) nor a trade union for workers to raise their concerns.
