By Min Ni Kyaw - Nov 29, 2024

It has been reported that the Yangon Nadia-Pacific Clothing Company Limited, a garment factory, terminated all of its approximately 800 workers who had been demanding a pay raise. The factory is located on Pyinsi Minthargyi Road, Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone 4, East Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon. Workers reported that the factory employed both male and female staff, totaling around 800 people.

“We were demanding an increase in our daily wage to 8,500 MMK. This morning, around 9 AM, the HR manager announced that they would not be increasing wages and that all workers would be terminated. They rang the factory bell and told everyone to leave. Some workers are still inside the factory, while others are seeking help at labor offices,” said one worker inside the factory.

Workers stated that they had first called for a wage increase on October 27 at around 3 PM by staging a work stoppage. On October 28, the factory management requested evidence that other factories had implemented similar raises. In response, workers began gathering proof to present to the factory. On October 29, after presenting the evidence to the HR manager, the factory dismissed all workers without any further discussions.

“They didn’t negotiate with us even though we provided the evidence they requested,. They just said they couldn’t increase wages and announced that everyone would be terminated. Many workers are now in tears and don’t even know where to turn for help,” said another worker.

Due to the rising cost of living and inflation, the workers had been demanding an increase in their daily wage from the original 6,800 MMK to 8,500 MMK for the past three days. The factory’s information has not been explicitly detailed in DICA records.