By Yoon Sat - Aug 26, 2024
The court fined the owner Mr.LEIPEI JUN (Chinese national) and the sub-ordinates of the Golden Colour Fashion Myanmar garment factory which located at Myataung Wungyi U Nyo Street, Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone 3, Innsein Township in the case sued by the workers for forcing overtime without their consents and said that they are not allowed to continue calling for overtime
The Ministry of Labor announced on August 23 that the Insein Township Court imposed a fine on the factory for continuously calling overtime.
The workers worked until 8:30 p.m. on July 8, 11 and 12, 2024 which exist the legal overtime working period (7:30 p.m.) and they were also not given 30 minutes break after the regular overtime.
“This is the consequences of not reviewing the labor law during the parliamentary times. The employer is fined 20 lakhs but it is nothing for them. Anyway it is better than not taking any action at all and the factory is not allowed to continue calling overtime at all and will be taken action if they do it again,” said a local labor activist.
Workers reported due to being called overtime by Kappa/ Defacto which is the currently manufacturing brands. The factory is sued after the chief officer of Inn Sein District office sued as a plaintiff representing the state as they failed to follow the instructions of the inspectors.
Insein Township Court scheduled a court date for trial on August 21st, and the case was examined. According to Section 85 of the Workshops Act, the owner and manager of the factory were ordered to pay a fine of 2,000,000 Kyats each and 40,000,000 Kyats togethe and to serve 15 days in prison alternatively if they can’t pay.
According to the Ministry of Labor, Mr. LEIPEI JUN (employer) and the manager paid a fine of 4,000,000 kyats together to the Insein Township Court after the decree.
In addition, the factory employs more than 1,000 workers, and workers demanded the full refund of the expertise fees in November 2022 as the employer cut them by almost half.
