By Hsu Latt Phyu - Sep 24, 2025
Workers from Victor House Co. Ltd garment factory report that conditions in the workplace have only deteriorated, even after a visit from labour department officials after raising concerns about unfair leave policies and deductions.
Requests for leave and legal entitlements are not granted equally according to workers. Those who miss a single day of work are penalized with the loss of benefits. Following complaints submitted to the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM), officials from the labour department visited the factory but workers say the violations have not only persisted but worsened.
“We reported the violations on social media, and after that, five people from the labour office came to inspect. But they just spoke to the employer without interviewing any of the workers. Right after they left, the employer announced that starting from September, anyone taking leave would lose all other entitlements except daily wage. They’ll cut our skill bonus too if we fail to meet production targets,” workers explained.
They say that some workers are handling two or three types of garment operations at once under pressure to meet unreasonable targets of up to 60 pieces per hour. The pressure, they add, is compounded by yelling, shouting, and intimidation from supervisors.
“There is no entitlement to get paid in casual leave. If we take a single day off, they classify it as unpaid and start deducting attendance bonuses, meal allowances, and skill pay all of which add up to over 50,000 kyats. That’s nearly equivalent to five days of wages lost for missing just one day,” said one worker. “What they call bonuses like skill pay and attendance are barely enough to make ends meet. On top of that, they keep pushing production targets, forcing us into nightly overtime just to meet demands.”
Workers have submitted the following demands:
- Supervisors must stop shouting and using abusive language when demanding production targets.
- Employers must not impose unrealistic production targets that exceed workers’ physical capabilities.
- Labour office inspections must be meaningful and effective, not worsen the situation.
- Employers must respect and allow workers to enjoy their legally entitled leave days.
Victor House Co. Ltd is a Chinese citizen-owned garment factory located in the lower area of Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon. Workers say around 900 employees are currently producing garments under the Papaya brand.
