By Myo Thein - Jul 12, 2025
Workers say they have been made to work continuous overtime continuously following reports of sexual harassment at Dongxin factory.
“We’ve been forced to work every day until 8 PM since June 25 up to yesterday. On Saturdays, it’s overnight shift. Today, they’re making us work overnight again,” one worker said.
According to a directive issued in 2022 by the Department of Labour Inspection, employers are not legally permitted to require workers to do more than 20 hours of overtime per week.
“Regular hours end at 4 PM at our factory, —that’s an 8-hour day. But we’ve had to work until 8 PM. That’s 4 hours of overtime per day, Monday to Friday, plus all-in on Saturdays. That’s over 30 hours. It’s getting unbearable for us,” said another worker.
Workers said overtime shifts are assigned by selection, but even Sundays are no longer guaranteed as days off.
“Everyone works until 8 PM daily. They pick people for midnight and overnight shifts. They also select workers to work on Sundays. There’s no more rest time. They’ve been pushing us with more overtime ever since the news came out about a Chinese supervisor sexually harassing some female workers,” said workers.
Workers also said that department supervisors force them to work regardless of health or consent even when they’re unwell or unable to continue.
Dongxin Garment Co., Ltd is located in on Nawaday Min Gyi Road, Hlaingthaya Industrial Zone 3, Yangon. The factory is owned by Chinese citizens and employs around 1,000 workers, the majority of whom are women.
