Myo Thein
Workers at the garment factory owned by Safety Clothing Myanmar Co., Ltd say they are being forced to start work 10 minutes before official working hours. In addition, they report that they are required to carry out work-related tasks during break times and therefore do not receive their full rest periods.
“Supervisors and line leaders do not allow us to fully take our breaks. They hold meetings or force us to continue sewing instead of letting us rest. The factory also makes us start working 10 minutes early and immediately begin sewing,” a worker said.
Workers also said that before the lunch break and about 30 minutes before the end of the workday, supervisors prohibit them from going to the toilet or fetching drinking water, and that responsible staff lock the factory doors during these times.
“Forcing workers to start before the designated working hours and not allowing full breaks violates Article 2 of the EC contract. Even though EC contracts are signed, this factory does not provide workers with copies of the contracts. Restricting access to toilets and drinking water violates the Factories Act and the EC contract. These practices amount to inhumane treatment and abuse of workers,” an official from the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) said.
Workers also said that when they signed their EC contracts, the factory did not allow them to read the contract terms and did not provide copies, leaving them unaware of the contract conditions. One worker said there have been cases where workers were dismissed without knowing which contract rules, they had allegedly violated.
“There were even cases where workers who had to eat on the floor in the dining hall due to a lack of chairs were photographed by a security guard, reported to management, and then dismissed,” a worker said.
In addition, workers reported that they are not granted legally mandated entitlements such as casual leave, medical leave, and service leave. They also alleged that underage workers aged 15 and 16 are being required to work under the same conditions as adult workers.
“Young workers under the legal working age are not hired with medical fitness certificates from doctors. When adults are told to work overtime, they are forced to work overtime as well,” a worker said.
Regarding production targets, workers said that on sewing lines with 30 workers, management demands output of up to 350 pieces, and if targets are not met, foreign supervisors and local supervisors verbally abuse workers in a rude manner.
Safety Clothing Myanmar Co., Ltd’s garment factory is located on Mya Sabal Phyu Road, Mya Sein Yaung Industrial Zone, Hlaing Tharyar Township, Yangon. The factory is reportedly owned by Chinese nationals, employs more than 500 workers, and manufactures the Roly Sport brand.
