Exploiting within 8 working hours (or) Increasing fabric output demands
(January violations) (No.1)
Min Ni Kyaw
Myanmar labor law stipulates that the maximum amount of working hour is 8 hours a day but it has been almost 3 years that some garment factory’s workers have to work double the number of other workers in the same 8 working hours.
“There was no increasement in fabric output before the coup. They are asking 150,160 pants fabrics which they used to ask 90. Those are assigned to be finished within the working hours at 16:00. Its kind of labor exploiting. The orders are also continuously coming in one after another. The workers are very tired they can’t work anymore,” said the worker.
The factory stipulated the amount of fabric should be finished within an hour and the workers have to finish it. The factory always increase the amount for their interests and they force the workers to finish within the working hours as they have to pay them double for the overtime.
“There are getting double benefits for asking 160 per hour. The workers have to work without eating or go to the toilet. They don’t recircuit overtime for that. They ask within the working hours to lower the expenses. But the workers are suffering as this is an exploitation and there are also many conscientious,” said a labor supporter.
The workers told Myanmar Labour News that they are verbally abused, discriminated against and intimidated by firing if they can’t finish the fabric demands within the working hours.
The workers have damages as some garment factory operating in Myanmar force the workers to work doubly within 8 working hours and cut their benefits for not getting the demands.
Myanmar Labour News has posted 45 total posts containing news, article and interviews including report letter about labor right abuses.
Among them there are 31 factory news, 2 letter news, 1 interview, 3 domestic worker news and 8 migrant workers’ news.
There are 33 articles about labor right abuses in 29 factories and the two factories that were reported for 2 times each in January are Best Choice Myanmar factory, BOHUA Fashion factory and Wonderful Apparel Co,Ltd. (N0.2)
How many factories increase the fabric output demands?
We reported 11 news regarding 10 factories that increase the fabric output demands from the workers. Those factories are Sinsay brand manufacturing Myanmar Bestex factory, CROPP and XC brand manufacturing BOHUA Fashion factory, MOHITO brand manufacturing New Fubon Co.,Ltd from Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone၊ Sinsay brand manufacturing E&P Fashion garment factory from Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone (5) ၊ Ladies Fashion brands manufacturing Hope One Co.,Ltd factory from Hlaing Thar Yar Township၊ 157.FUNK၊ Vaile Bleue brand manufacturing Best Choice Myanmar factory from Anawrahta industrial zone, Cooltee၊ ERC၊ ENSORED brand manufacturing Wonderful Apparel Co,Ltd factory from Myaung Ta Kar Industrial Zone ၊ TULTEX၊ EUNCENTRO brand manufacturing Lucky Fortune Garment factory from Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone (4) ၊ PROMOD၊ CALLIOPE brand manufacturing Myanmar Luxury Group from Shwe Pyi Thar Township and PADDED COLLECTION brand manufacturing San Yuan Oversea (2) Myanmar Apparel factory from Htan Ta Pin Industrial Zone.
It is witnessed that there are 2 factories manufacturing international Sinsay brands are included in this list.
The workers said that the factories increase the fabric output demand and force them to finish within 8 working hours, force them to work on holidays, intimidate, verbally abuse, cut for qc drop fabrics and does not providing transportation for way back home from overtime and cutting benefits for not working overtime.
Garment workers who are forced to work substitute for day offs.
“The factory starts from 8:00 and finishes at 16:00. If we have overtime we have to work continuously until 18:30 after finishing lunch at 12:30. We can rest half an hour after 16:00. They force us to work from 19:00 to 4:00 am with only a little break at mid night. 2 days of those kinds of days are counted as the substitute for the holidays and factory off days. The overtime wages are not counted in the salary. Although it is said the overtime is not mandatory, it has never been like that. Because they calls us and us why we don’t want to work overtime,” said a worker from Wonderful Apparel Co,Ltd factory.
Wonderful Apparel Co,Ltd factory never get paid for the overtime although they worked substitute overtime for the public holidays such as Union Day, Independence Day and the factory’s other days off.
Myanmar Labour News reported 2 times for that factory’s abuses and the labor officer came to inspect each time, therefore the factory said that they will give the overtime wages for the last time, said by the workers.
The factories that are reported for hiring as day laborers by the workers are the BOHUA Fashion factory and Wonderful Apparel Co, Ltd factories.
Day laborers and child laborers who’s rights are stilled being abuses
There are 10 factories we reported regarding of hiring day laborers and child laborers and not giving access to the legal benefits. Those factories are bag manufacturing Myanmar Chaofa Leather Ware Co.,Ltd, Cortefiel and Evenriver brand manufacturing Gy sen-1 (Myanmar) Apparel Co.,Ltd from War Ta Yar Industrial Zone, Sinsay brand manufacturing Myanmar Sinyoung Fashion factory from Htan Ta Pin Township, ziben brand manufacturing Mirae or New Way factory, H&M and POKEMON brand manufacturing Hige Fashion Accessories (Myanmar) Co.,Ltd from Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone, Sinsay brand manufacturing factory from Myanmar Bestex from Shwe Than Lwin Industrial Zone, Cooltee, ERC and ENSORED brand manufacturing Wounderful Apparel Co,Ltd from Myaung Ta Kar Industrial Zone, PROMOD and CALLIOPE brand manufacturing Myanmar Luxury Group from Shwe Pyi Thar Township, TULTEX and EUNCENTRO brand manufacturing Lucky Fortune Garment factory from Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone 4.
Myanmar’s acting labor law doesn’t classify the workers as day laborers, underage laborers and tap laborers. The law has given the same rights for all the workers but the factories are taking advantage of the weakness of the laws, shaping as their own and violating the workers.
The workers are facing the violations such as being forced to work more than 8 hours without getting paid overtime wages, not being appointed as permanent workers after having enough seniority as day laborers, forcing to work on public holidays and easily dismissed.
The factories abusing the day laborers’ rights are Myanmar Sunyoung Fashion factory, Fy sen-1 (Myanmar) Apparek Co., Ltd, Mirae or New Way factory, Hige Fashion Accessories (Myanmar) Co., Ltd and Lucky Fortune Garment factory.
There are many child laborers among the day laborers who are being abused. Myanmar labor laws stipulated that a person can work starting at 14 but only with the doctor’s recommendation letter and restrict the working hours. But the child laborers are working the same with other workers and get paid only the daily wages but not the overtime wages.
The factories with abuses upon the child laboreres are Myanmar Chaofa Leather Ware Co.,Ltd, Myanmar Bestex, Wounderful Apparel Co,Ltd, Lucky Fortune Garment and the microplastic pouring factory from the Ma Yan Gone Township.
There are 10 times of labor right violations upon the day laborers and underage labors in January.
Most violated issue, cutting the wages and benefits
The most reported labor right abuses in January are cut of the wages and benefits of the labors. There are 17 factories involved in this violation and we had reported 20 times. Those factories are interim fabrics manufacturing Full Way Myanmar Garment factory from Shwe Than Lwin Industry Zone, Chinese brand manufacturing Diamond Sea Sar Garment from Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone, 157.FUNK and Vaile Bleue brands manufacturing Best Choice Myanmar from Anawrahtar Industrial Zone, Hang Ten and ZARA brand manufacturing Great Glowing Investment Co.,Lt from Mingalardone Industrial Zone, G-Yuam Packaging Material (Myanmar) packaging factory from war Ta Yar Industrial Zone, ROMAN PETITE , GEMO and Sinsay brand manufacturing ZYZ Apparel Co.,Ltd , INEXTENSO, CORTEFIEL and Sinsay brands manufacturing Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion factory from Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone (4), YAMADATATSU ORIGINAL brand manufacturing Sewell Garment Myanmar factory from Ngwe Pinle industrial Zone, KIABI, TROLLKIDS and JACKET brands manufacturing Wonderful Apparel Co.,Ltd from Myaung Ta Kar Industrial Zone and Myanmar Chaofa Leather Ware Co.,Ltd, Mirae or New Way, Myanmar Bestex, BOHUA Fashion, Hope One Co.,Ltd, Lucky Fortune Garment, San Yuan Oversea(2) Myanmar Apparel factories.
These factories abuse the labor rights such as not paying the overtime wages, cutting the daily wage for leaves, cutting daily wages, attendance bonus and professionality fees for the not working overtime, changing the paying system for the salary and the professionality fees.
Most occurred violations
The most occurred violations in January are not allowing workers the legal leave, not following the laws for overtime recruitment, verbal abuses in the factory and the illegal dismisses. (No-3)
There are 10 factories which dismiss illegally and some cases are still resolving.
The workers say that the dismissal was illegal because they were accused of malice on one side although the factory dispute can be resolved step by steps.
The factory which illegally dismiss the workers are CALLIOPE brand manufacturing Sheng Da Ming Apparel Co., Ctd from Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone (1), GLACIER Iusso, HK WORKS LONDON brands manufacturing factories from Sunrise (Myanmar) Fashion and Mute coloring and painting businesses.
The type of business of the factories that were reported for labor right abuses in January are garment factory, bag manufactory, packing factory, coloring and painting factory and macroplastic pouring factory.
The 35 brands manufactured in the garment factories are 157.FUNK, Vaile Bleue, Hang Ten, ZARA , Sinsay, Cortefiel, Evenriver, ziben, INEXTENSO, Sinsay, YAMADATATSU ORIGINAL, Logos Park, Beloved, Bekkin, KIABI, TROLLKIDS, JACKET, H&M, POKEMON၊ MOHITO, GLACIER Iusso, HK WORKS LONDON, CROPP, XC, Cooltee, ERC, ENSORED, ROMAN PETITE, GEMO, Ladies Fashion, TULTEX, EUNCENTRO, PROMOD, CALLIOP and PADDED COLLECTION. There are 5 factories which manufacture Sinsay brand among the above mentioned factories and 2 factories that manufacture 157.FUNK, Vaile Bleue, CALLIOPE and Cortefiel brands. (No-4)
Myanmar Labour News also wants to inform that we would post the briefs of monthly labor right violations as we are advocating and data collecting daily.