By Hsu Latt Phyu - Feb 17, 2024
197 workers from Full Way garment factory which locates in No. 83, Min Ayar Street, Shwe Than Lwin Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon region are having difficulties as the employer close down the factory without any notices.
Since January 1st the factory has been closed for a month and the workers said that although they received basic wages and allowances on February 5th, they still do not know when the factory will be open again and it is still closed until now.
“We get daily wages of 4,800 kyats and attendance bonus 1,000 kyats rate, which is a total of 180,000 kyats. It is not comfortable for us to pay the expenses. We are not yet informed the date of the factory to reopen and how they will pay us. The employer is not here anymore. The landlord had sealed the factory so that we are worrying if the employer would not come back. They should give us damages if they would close. We submit a letter to inform us the day if they were to reopen. He said that he is going to lend to his friend’s factory when he was moving the machines. We can’t inquire no one as the manager also had been suspended. We want the employer to resolve. How can we trust the lawyers while we can’t trust our employers. If the factory is sure not to reopen we want the fair damages for our labor,” said the worker.
The workers are only get paid with daily wages 4,800 kyats and attendance bonus 1,000 kyats.
A 31-year-old worker with 9 years of experience said that despite sending a mail complaint to the relevant township labor office through WCC as there is no response from the entrepreneur, there was no difference.
The factory has been in operation for more than 10 years, and since all 197 workers are senior workers, they are demanding compensation if the factory is sure to be closed.
The factory, which is owned by a Chinese national, previously had its own orders, but it has been around 1 year it has been manufacturing sub-orders from other factories due to lack of orders.
Although the employer did not come in person, they came the labor offices through a lawyer. There are 4 court dates and the workers have not yet received the respond they want.
“Only the lawyer came to the court for four times. The daily wages is only equivalent to a bag of rice. It doesn’t cover with the raising living expenses. As an employer, he should consider for the senior workers. He said he didn’t break Myanmar’s law. He contributed in the social security for many years and signed EC contract with us. The officials should help us. We seek for resolvent for our labor,” said the worker.
More than 150 workers are female workers among the 197 workers. Most of them are pregnant workers and married women who have to look after their children and they seek for resolvent for their services of more than 10 years.
“We can apply for other jobs, if they pay compensation in accordance with the law. But for now neither the damages nor the date to reopen are informed. We have been waiting for so long and more than 150 women are having difficulties. Some are married, some are pregnant and some are single women. No factory wants to hire the age of over 30. We have served here 9 or 10 years. It is not easy for us to find another job,” they said.
The trade union was no longer existed as the Junta came to search for them after the coup. And the responsive labor offices cannot help for resolvent in this ongoing dispute.
“Workers don’t know where to go to process. The labor offices said they don’t break the laws but I don’t think so. But there is no transparency if we inquire via them. We had never violated the Myanmar’s law. So, we want to ask what will they do if the employer breaks,” the worker said.
