By Hsu Latt Phyu - Nov 21, 2023
It is said that more than 800 workers working at the Nexstar garment factory opened on Glass minister U Nyunt Road, Industrial Zone 1, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon, are having to without benefits.
At that factory owned by a Chinese national, the worker said that they are making John Baner and Women Secret brands jackets, pants and shirts and they are not having legal leaves, being demanded more than what they can sew, and forced to leave their jobs.
"We are not allowed to enjoy casual leave or seniority leave. Not any leave does too. Missing a day for sick or any other reason, we are cut 5,800 kyats of daily wages 10,000 kyats of attendance bonus and a total of 15,800 kyats," said the worker.
The worker said that they are also faced with excessive demands in the workplace, demanded 30 pieces of fabric per hour for a single machine line, then in order to meet the number of fabrics, they have to sew without going to toilet or take a water break during the working hours.
"The factory is going to move from Hlaing Thar Yar to Shwe Pyi Thar Township branch. The workers who can't follow are told to quit their jobs. The situation right now is although the factory has enough orders, they don't call for overtime, they only ask for 8 hours of work, and the salary is only a day's wages, so we can't with stand with it anymore. They are doing it deliberately to make them leave their jobs as they know the workers can’t withstand with the daily wages alone," said the worker.
The worker said that there are some workers who went back their hometown on last Thadingyut holidays, and 4 workers who were late to work on the opening day due to travel difficulties were pressured to come back as new people, and told them to quit their jobs if they can’t accept it.
It is also said that there is no trade union organized to solve labor issues in the workplace.
The workers said that they want to be allowed to enjoy casual leave and seniority, which is the entitled to the law, requested only the standard that they can sew when demanding the fabric standard, not to be committed illegal acts against them and to be acted according to the law on them if the factory is moved.
