ฺBy Hsu Latt Phyu - Jun 14, 2024
Workers from KBL bride dress factory which located at Industrial Zone 1, Kyan Sit Thar Road, Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone said that they are having difficulties due to being called excessive overtime until 9:00 pm or 11:00 pm and also on Sundays.
The factory is owned by a Chinese national and manufacturing DAVIDS BRIDAL and Studio brand bride dress with more than 900 workers.
The working hours are from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and from 4:30 pm to 9:00 or 11:00 pm in the evening as overtime and also on Sundays.
The workers are working overtime with rotation and having difficulties for way back home after the overtime as the factory doesn’t provide them transportation. The factory is in the township where martial law is legalize so workers are going back home with concerns.
The factory ask for excessive fabric outputs and inform about overtime just before the working hours finish and the supervisors are verbally abusing the workers who refuse to work overtime.
“The factory manager told that they will give the workers 30,000 kyats bonus for May allowance in June 3 and we have to sign that we received that on June 6. And also asked to sign a raise with an agreement that we acknowledge that 30,000 kyats will be cut for any types of leave. The workers refuse to sign knowing that 30,000 kyats is the allowance for May and workers only want to be raised for the basic salary as the other factories are also raising the wages. But the factory told to return 30,000 kyats if we don’t sign and workers said to cut from the next month salary,” said a worker.
The workers are hoping for an increase in their wages due to the livelihoods, and they do not want a situation where the factory is planning to cut.
Complaints were made about being forced to work overtime and not being granted for leaves and the worker said that even though the relevant authorities came to investigate, they were working more overtime than before.
The demands of the workers are:
1. To tell workers in advance for overtime.
(a) To provide transportation if they were to call until 11:00 pm.
(b) Not to call overtime continuously on Sundays.
2. To raise 1,500 or 1,000 kyats in the daily wages.
