By Yoon Sat - May 06, 2025

The owner of the True Green City corn processing factory, located at No ---., Maha Myine Road in Shwe Pyi thar Industrial Zone, Yangon Region, is reportedly pressuring the factory’s internal workers’ union to dissolve after it led a demand to increase daily wages.

Workers at the factory, through their union, called for the daily wage to be raised from 6,800 kyats to 10,000 kyats. In response, the factory owner allegedly threatened that unless the union was disbanded, no wage increase or other improvements would be granted.

According to reports, the factory owner went so far as to say they would forcibly dissolve the union if it wasn’t voluntarily disbanded.

“We were told, ‘Disband the union. If you do, we’ll not only raise wages — we’ll do whatever you ask. But we won’t give you anything as long as the union exists. We won’t comply even if the government orders us to raise wages. We won’t care if you go to the labor office. The government has no investment in this factory. Disband your union and we’ll pay whatever you want. Don’t underestimate us — we will destroy your union one way or another,’” one worker recounted.

Although Myanmar’s 2011 Labour Organization Law guarantees workers the right to form legally recognized unions, participate as members, and engage in union-related activities, the owner of True Green City is reportedly attempting to suppress these rights and intimidate workers into dismantling their union.

In response, the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (STUM) strongly condemned the threats and said it is monitoring the factory’s actions and documenting all incidents moving forward.