By Hsu Latt Phyu - Sep 23, 2025
Workers from Euro Style Myanmar Fashion Co., Ltd have sought assistance from the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM), reporting violations involving underage workers being employed without medical certification and being made to work under adult-level conditions while being paid only 6,800 MMK per day.
The factory, which is Chinese citizen-owned and located on Panpae Khaung Maung Street in Industrial Zone 4, Shwepyitha Township, Yangon Region, employs over 1,000 workers and is reported to be producing bras and underwear for the brands Censored and Terranova.
"Minors aged 14, 15, and 16 are being employed without health clearance from a registered physician, and are being made to work on par with adult workers. They are paid a total of only 6,800 MMK, including attendance and meal allowances. tTe factory struggles to retain workers and keeps hiring new ones daily due to the low wages, including apprentices who don’t last long," said one worker.
Not all workers in the factory receive equal access to the legally entitled leave. Those who don’t receive leave are penalized by losing their daily wage, attendance bonus, and meal allowance amounting to deductions of over 40,000 MMK for a single day off, causing financial hardship, prompting workers to call for resolution.
“Our working hours are from 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM, and we are often required to work 2 to 3 hours of overtime. We get off at 6:30 PM but are still made to work overtime if production is high. Though they say we don’t have to do OT, if we really refuse, we are treated unfairly. When we try to report it to the media, they deny the violations, and we have nowhere to file a proper complaint,” a worker said.
The employment of underage workers without proper regulation, reduced wages, and the enforcement of adult-level work, workers are experiencing ongoing losses due to such workplace discrimination. Workers are demanding resolution of the following points to improve workplace conditions:
Workers’ demands are as follows:
- Employers must not assign 15–16-year-old minors to work as regular employees and must not make them work the same as adult workers for only 6,800 MMK as training wages.
- Employers must provide all workers with their legally entitled leave and must not discriminate in the granting of such leave.
- Employers must not retaliate or hold grudges against workers who refuse to work overtime.
- Employers must not assign workers to departments or locations outside of their designated roles, according to the workers of Euro Style Myanmar Fashion Co., Ltd.
