By Min Ni Kyaw - Oct 06, 2025
Workers at the “Wan Xin” garment factory in Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone 5, Yangon Region, say they are facing hardships after operations were suspended without prior notice.
They reported that orders began to dry up around six months ago, after which the factory laid off around 350 workers.
Factory equipment started being moved out in August and was completely relocated by September according to workers.
“Right now, the factory has been closed for four days without any prior notice. We think the factory owner has run away. Our wages were reduced for six months. We were supposed to get 500,000 kyats a month but we only received 300,000, 200,000, or 250,000 kyats,” workers said.
Currently, only two supervisors and around 150 workers remain in the factory.
Workers believe the management deliberately reduced staff numbers and morale step by step to avoid paying severance when the factory closed.
“They stopped providing ferry buses and sent us home. They used violence instead of following the law. They called the police, called the military, and even beat workers,” they said.
With the sudden factory closure, workers now find themselves in uncertainty having to look for other jobs and struggling to afford food and daily living expenses.
“Most of us are from outside the city. Right now, our daily living costs are at least 15,000 kyats per person. That’s 400,000 to 500,000 kyats a month. Two or three hundred thousand kyats is impossible to survive on. Some people are crying because they have nothing to eat,” said one worker.
Workers said they have reported the current situation to the Hlaingtharyar Township Labour Office, but no action has yet been taken. They were told officials would come to resolve the issue only on October 9.
“They should inform us clearly in advance and pay severance according to the law if the factory is going to close. They should pay us the full amount based on years of service and salary,” said one worker.
Labour activists also stressed that a factory must notify workers with dignity and pay everything owed under the law so that workers can prepare in advance if it intends to close, .
“The employer must notify workers with respect and pay all severance and outstanding entitlements in accordance with the law if a factory is going to close,” said a representative from the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).
“We’ll see whether the factory reopens or not on Wednesday. If necessary, we will escalate the issue all the way to Naypyidaw from the Hlaingtharyar Labour Office,” workers told Myanmar Labour News.
