By Yoon Sat - Aug 06, 2024
It is known that the employer and employee are negotiating in the case where the trade union leader from Chu Yang (Myanmar) Garment Co, Ltd from Won Saung Mhu Street, War Ta Yar Industrial Zone, Shwe Pyi Thar township was dismissed.
"The dismissal of Chu Yang (Myanmar) Garment union leader will be negotiated by the employer and employee. We also reported to The Otto group," said the person helping the worker.
The workers from the factory applied to form the legal trade union and after a month when the deputy chief of the Department of Labor inspected the factory the trade union members were summoned to the HR office and they were inspected, scolded by the manager and other people. The interpreters also took a video to them and the executive committee members of the trade union members were summoned by the Township Labor office on August 1, 2024.
While they were at the office, the GM and manager called the members of the union to the HR office and asked why they form the trade union and intimidated that they would black list them to not be able to apply for job at any factories.
It has been more than a decade since the factory workers were prevented from forming a labor organization, not only by the employers but also by the stuffs of the department that enforces the laws. This kind of threat to form a union and preventing it from intimidating with the job stability means Myanmar violated the ILO Convention 87 on the right to freedom of association. Solidarity of Trade Unions, Myanmar - STUM said due to the actions of employers who do not understand the law and some corrupt employees of the departments, the actions of the ILO and international pressure to leave the brand have caused the entire garment industry to be suspended as a result of those violations.
“The Deputy Chief of the Department of Labor inspected the factory yesterday and said nothing. But the HR called workers one by one and humiliated that we formed a trade union while not understanding the law. The department said all EC members have to come to the office in the next day as there are some facts which have to resolved. But the factory don’t give the gate pass and we have a dispute over that. I was fired in this morning due to the gate pass dispute. The Deputy Chief summoned me but didn’t intervene anything when I was fired,” said the dismissed worker.
Regarding the dismissal of the trade union’s leader, a complaint mechanism has been set up to Otto group, and since it is a complaint mechanism that cannot be reached by the workers as they have to access through a website link, STUM has already done it.Chu Yang (Myanmar) Garment Factory is a Chinese national-owned CMP system factory with a 100% foreign investment and invested 2.136 million US dollars on March 9, 2020. It has European Flax certification and manufacturing Linen fabrics and is the largest EU brand manufacturing factory.
The main brands manufactured by the factory are Rainbow, Bodyflirt and bpc Selection Brands. These brands are sub-brands of Bonprix Brand based in Hamburg, Germany.
