By Nay Chi Oct 25, 2023
The workers from AMAVA APPAREL garment factory in Pathein, Irrawaddy said that the factory is firing the workers working on the garment line where trade union leaders and members are appointed with the grounds of lack of orders.
The factory which employs around 1,000 workers is owned by a Sri Lankan citizen and manufacturing the BLAKLADER brand.
The workers said that the department lines with trade union leaders and members have been reduced and dismantled 4 times, claiming that there were no orders.
More than 70 people reduced for the first time in December 2022 and more than 70 workers were reduced again in April 2023.
In the early part of 2023, union leaders and union members were fired, and on October 20th, it was reported that the garment line where trade union leaders and members are appointed to be reduced the workforce.
One of the workers said that it is a crack down to the trade union with purpose as the labor activists, those who understand labor rights. union leaders and members included.
"In the factory, only the lines with the union leader and members are being fired, and then the next day, new workers are called in. Those who were fired are not hired back. The security leader U ---- Security leader U ---, Manager Daw----- are asking for 30,000 to 100,000 kyats for job application. In addition, the workers were asked to do work that was not related to the department, gender and LGBT discrimination in hiring processes and sexual assaults from supers exist too. The cleaning staff is also called to work on Sundays, and they don't pay (double) wages which she deserved for overtime but only 5,000 kyats per day," said a worker at the factory.
Under the pretext of difficult employment opportunities, they are committing labor rights violations and labor union members are not accepted if they apply for other jobs. It is reported that they have been blacklisted.
"As workers, we do believe that by targeting lines where union leaders and members are working is intentionally destroying the union. For that reason, I would like to request to the brand not to destroy the unions, because it is a factory that would be convenient if only there is a union," the workers said.
"The factory made a decision at the WCC that they would call back the workers who were dismissed as a priority. When we went to ask for this decision letter, I were told to go to the government office and now that now, only other new workers are being called continuously which is against that decision,” said a member of the labor union who included in the reduction of workers.
They went to the Department of Labor to complain about the crackdown on trade union leaders and members from the workplace, but the Department said, "They can't fire if there is no orders. We can't complain them. They have the right to fire if you take too many leaves, whether it's legal or not. If you don't meet the standard of clothing, they have the right to fire."
In the workplace, people who are entitled to medical leave are not allowed to receive medical leave from 26 weeks to 52 weeks which is entitled in the Social Security Act, but they don’t get paid if they exceed 30 days of medical leave under the 1951 Leave and Working Holidays Act although if they do have the social security certificate.
In February 2023, there were reports that the factory told the Social Security Department not to give the workers medical certificates, and there were cases where the health and safety issues in the workplace were being openly violated, and the regulatory departments turned a blind eye.
On 29th July 2019, about 1,000 workers gathered in front of the factory to make a 19-point demand due to being violated the labor rights, oppressed and sexually harassed in the workplace.
