By Nay Chi - May 06, 2024

Workers from ACE APPAREL garment factory which locates at Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon Region said that the supervisors are charging from job applicants and the current workers who are working are also losing their rights by not getting entitled to social security benefits and being physically assaulted in the workplace.

Workers said that a line manager is charging from the job applicants and physically assaulting the workers.

“The manager Daw – from Line B7 charges the workers and hires them. And them dismiss with various reasons. She is not only verbally abusing but also physically assaulting the workers and the dismissals of workers laid under her hand,” said a worker.

Furthermore, workers don’t get access to social security benefits which they are legally entitled to contribute. They are also losing their legal leaves and being forced to work overtime as well.

“The social security card is granted only after 4 months. The line manager scold us for submitting a legal leave and cut from our daily wages for taking the social security leaves as well. We are paying 2,000 kyats for the social security monthly but we don’t get access to any of the benefits. They force us to sign to work overtime just before the end of the working hours. They pressure us if we refuse to work overtime. Sometimes, we have to work from 4:30 to 8:00 pm without a breaking time for the overtime. The line manager force us to sign a warning paper if we refuse the Sunday overtime too,” a worker said.

The factory is owned by a South Korean national and manufacturing blue summer brand with more than 1,000 workforce and workers are seeking resolvent and help for their losses.