By Myo Thein - Nov 21, 2025
More than 1,000 workers at DA MEI Myanmar Co., Ltd., a garment factory, are facing serious labour rights violations, including the excessive exploitation of underage workers, according to the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).
DA MEI Myanmar Co., Ltd. is located on San Pyae Road, Industrial Zone 5, in Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon, and employs around 1,000 workers.
"Supervisors demand production targets that workers can’t meet. They require each group of around 40 workers to produce at least 150 pieces per hour. Even underage workers have to work the same as adults. We don’t even get our full lunch break just to meet those quotas,” said a worker.
Due to the high production demands, workers said they are unable to take their full 30-minute lunch break and are also subjected to verbal abuse from supervisors for absences or not meeting targets.
“Supervisors and line leaders scold and pressure them to quit if someone misses work. Many workers have resigned because of the harsh treatment. HR just follows what the supervisors and leaders tell them. If a supervisor says to fire someone, they do it right away,” a worker said.
Workers also reported being denied medical and casual leave. Even if the clinic grants medical leave, the factory cancels it, treats the absence as unapproved, and deducts 11,000 kyats in penalties along with 25,000 kyats from their regular pay.
“There are about 100 underage workers aged 14, 15, and 16 in the factory. They don’t have any medical certification approving them for employment. But they are still made to work the same as adults. Some daily wage workers who have completed three months of service are still not confirmed as permanent staff. They work like others but don’t get equal rights, including leave and medical care,” a worker said.
Workers said they feel unsafe to report issues or file complaints due to military council officials visiting the factory monthly.
The factory’s clinic reportedly lacks adequate basic medication, and workers must wait around an hour to receive any treatment, creating further health risks.
The factory is Chinese citizen-owned and is known to be producing garments for the Amisu brand.
