By Min Ni Kyaw - Apr 24, 2025

Workers at XING YUAN (Myanmar) garment factory have reported that they are being forced to work overtime by supervisors without their consent. The factory management instructed them to work until midnight following the Thingyan holiday, on April 22, according to the workers.

"Workers refused when they said we had to work until midnight. They agreed to work only until 8 PM. The factory refused to let them leave when 8 PM came, saying they could only go after completing the garments. Line 3 assistant supervisor and Manager Daw Myo Myo said that they would have to walk on their own if they wanted to go home," said the workers.

That night, workers were not allowed to leave until 9 PM, with some having to contact family or friends nearby to get assistance returning home. The factory is located in Thein Chaing Road, Wataya Industrial Zone, Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Yangon, and some workers commute from Hlaing Tharyar Township, according to the workers.

XING YUAN (Myanmar) garment factory, which opened last December, has been reported by workers for supervisors using harsh and abusive language, setting excessive production targets, making it difficult to take leave, forcing overtime under pressure, threatening dismissal for refusing overtime, abusive behavior from the female manager, lack of access to clean drinking water, poor sanitation in restrooms, daily foul smells from factory waste, giving only 15-minute breaks during overtime yet pressuring some lines to continue working, and failing to provide EC contracts even after probation periods.

Currently, around 500 workers are employed at XING YUAN (Myanmar) factory, manufacturing brands like RESERVE, Sinsay, GUESS, and Japanese orders, according to Myanmar Labour News.