By Myo Thein - Jun 26, 2025

Workers at STYLE & SMART garment factory said they have been forced to work overtime under pressure, including overnight shifts, for nearly the entire month of June.

They told the Confederation of Trade Unions, Myanmar (CTUM) that forced overnight overtime shifts have continued for about three weeks. “This factory has been forcing us to stay overnight and work until morning for nearly three weeks now. We can’t cope anymore,” they said.

In 2022, the Factories and General Labour Laws Inspection Department issued a directive concerning overtime work. That directive stated that employers and factory managers must obtain prior consent from workers before assigning overtime, and ensure that weekly overtime hours do not exceed 20.

Additionally, any plan to assign overtime must be reported to the Labour Department, and permission must be visibly posted at the factory for workers to see.

However, workers said the factory continued to enforce forced overtime as recently as yesterday (June 25).

“They made us work overnight again today. We have no choice but to comply,” the workers said.

STYLE & SMART Myanmar Co., Ltd manufacture global bran garments such as Sinsay and Velilla. The factory operates in the Wataya Industrial Zone, Shwepyithar Township, Yangon.