Myo Thein
Feb 25, 2026
Members of the Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM) say workers at the Tha Shu garment factory, which was secretly relocated and renamed without public notice during a collective wage increase demand, are continuing their protest.
“The factory changed its name from Tha Shu to Titan Tree Myanmar Co., Ltd. The ownership was also changed. They removed equipment and signboards overnight and relocated after saying in the morning that they would negotiate. The workers are continuing their demands,” they said.
Officials from FGWM said the Titan Tree Myanmar Co., Ltd-owned garment factory is located on Saya San Road, Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone 2, Yangon, and employs more than 400 workers. The workers’ demands began on February 19 and included calls for wage increases and for the ownership change to be officially announced.
“The Tha Shu signboard was taken down on February 20 without any negotiation with the employer,” they said.
According to current Myanmar law, when a factory changes ownership, it must register the company with the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA), coordinate with the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) regarding ownership changes and export-import licenses, and work with the Ministry of Labour concerning amendments to workers’ employment contracts (EC). An HR manager said these procedures are required.
“Discussions must first be held with existing workers regarding their years of service, benefits, and compensation if the employer does not wish to continue employing them before completing office procedures if ownership is to be changed,” he said.
On the night of February 20, as workers prepared to stay overnight at the factory after negotiations failed, factory officials, township labour office staff, and soldiers reportedly entered the factory and forced them to leave, denying them permission to remain overnight.
“The factory was only focused on sending out containers instead of negotiating the workers’ demands. Labour office staff and soldiers arrived when workers said they would stay overnight at the factory to push for negotiations. There were also hired men among them,” a worker said.
As of February 24, workers said the factory had refused all demands and continued to reject negotiations. They also said some men armed with knives were stationed in front of the factory.
“The factory says it will increase wages in March and is telling workers to return to work. But they also said that there will be no ferry transportation today and no daily wages or attendance bonuses will be paid for the protest period if we continue the strike. The workers are continuing their demands,” a worker said.
As of today, the workers’ protest has entered its sixth day. Currently, workers receive a daily wage of 11,000 kyats, overtime pay of 1,950 kyats, and a monthly attendance bonus of 40,000 kyats. They are calling for a modest wage increase, but the factory has not shown willingness to concede.
The factory is manufacturing the Polish-based CDRL company under the COCCODRILLO and CHEEKY brands.
