By Ma Ma - Dec 12, 2024
At the Chinese-owned New Fubon Garment Factory, workers have been forced to work overtime without rest days throughout the week, but discrepancies in overtime payments have left many workers shortchanged, according to workers.
The factory is located on Pyin Si Ming Thar Gyi Road, Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, and operates with over 350 workers. There is no trade union in the workplace. The factory manufactures Boutique Plus brand, and workers are said to be working overtime daily, including until 11 PM every night, without rest days.
“We don’t get a single day off, and we are required to work overtime every day without fail from Monday to Sunday. We work until 11 PM consistently. Despite working overtime every night until 11 PM, when it comes to calculating our overtime pay, there are significant discrepancies in the recorded hours for many workers. No solutions are provided when we raised the issue. Official working hours start at 8 AM, with a lunch break at noon until 12:30 PM. After lunch, we continue working without a break for tea or snacks until 7:30 PM or even 9:30 PM. Those who work overtime until 11 PM do not receive their overtime pay on the spot; instead, it is added to the monthly salary. Additionally, the factory does not provide ferry transportation for workers who finish late-night overtime. Workers without money for transportation end up walking home. The lack of transportation support creates hardships for us. Even though workers stay up late for overtime, the management doesn’t allow us to bring or consume any snacks, such as coffee or sweets, to stay alert,” a worker said.
The factory demands excessive output demands, such as 90 shirts per hour for a line of 30 workers. When workers meet the targets, the factory increases the quota to 120 items per hour. Workers say they are forced to work without drinking water or bathroom breaks to meet these demands.
The factory also employs around 80 underage workers without medical certification and fires them if they cannot meet the same production targets as their older counterparts. Workers also face difficulties obtaining emergency leave, they are met with verbal abuse from management when they request it.
“There are 11 production lines in the factory. Machines frequently malfunction—some are missing needle covers, snippers, or other essential components. Despite these issues, workers are still forced to meet the output demands set by management. Workers also face risks of electric shocks from faulty machines. When we speak up, we are met with fear and anxiety about workplace safety. Drinking water basins and handwashing stations are poorly maintained and filthy. The toilets are segregated by gender, but there are not enough toilets, which creates challenges, particularly for female workers. Moreover, the toilets have no ventilation and are unsanitary, giving off foul odors,” another worker explained.
Due to these violations, factory workers have contacted the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) to request assistance in addressing the labor rights abuses within the workplace.
The workers have also called on the factory management to ensure clean and sanitary restrooms, stop firing workers without valid reasons, limit excessive overtime shifts throughout the week, provide transportation for workers returning from late-night shifts, set reasonable production targets, ensure that supervisors refrain from yelling or verbally abusing workers, calculate overtime wages accurately and resolve any discrepancies in recorded hours.
