By Ma Ma - Nov 04, 2024
Chinese factories have been increasingly recruiting Myanmar workers with promises of salaries reaching tens of thousands of kyats, but workers said that workplace violations are occurring.
Currently, recruitment for Myanmar workers by Chinese factories is increasing, but the Ministry of Labor has not taken any restrictive or educating in response.
“Workers here decide to go to China together. Sometimes, recruiters even come to the factory to make announcements. We see advertisements posted as well. They’re offering salaries of over 10 lakhs kyats,” said a female factory worker from Shwe Pyi Thar.
Despite the offers made to domestic workers, those who went to work at China report difficulties and violations in the workplace and struggles to return home.
“We have to work unpaid mid-night and all-night overtimes if we can’t finish the output demands they want. This kind of unfair overtime leads to health issues to the workers. Many now want to return home. But the employer demands reimbursement for travel expenses incurred when we first arrived in China if we were to return to Myanmar and won’t let us go back easily. They buy the time with various reasons” said a worker from Longhuan DEPlN Garment Limited in Longchuan, Yunnan Province.
The basic minimum wage remains insufficient for the raising living expenses and that force many workers to work abroad. Many have already gone and most are facing difficulties.
Myanmar workers at AOHE garment factory in Ruili, China, also demanded fair fabric output, overtime wages, day off on government holidays, and increases in daily wages and attendance bonuses. However, the Chinese employer accused the Myanmar workers of protesting and handed them to Chinese security forces without paying their wages, according to a detained female worker.
According to worker reports Myanmar workers in China, they continue to endure various workplace violations while lacking the protection of labor laws, facing arrest for demands, being denied wages and having difficulties to return home.
