By Hsu Latt Phyu - Jun 11, 2024

Workers from S-M MYANMAR Garment CO, Ltd which located at Shwe Than lwin Industrial Zone 4, Hlaing Thar Yar Township said that they are asked for higher output demands than the productivity rates and overtime wages are denied for not finishing those demands.

A cavity with 40 people including the supervisors are asked 35 fabric piece per hour and workers have to sew three points in the same time but the workforce of the absent workers are not counted.

“Supervisors verbally abused us and force us free overtime on off days if we can’t sew the output they want,” said a worker.

Workers are suffering from social and health issues while working overtime for free on public holidays and day offs.

“The cavity manager also verbally abuse for not getting the outputs the employer want. They also said that we have to sign a warning for talking in the workplace,” worker said.

The day laborers are hired without promotion to permanent stuffs after 3 months to dismiss them illegally. The expert fees are set as A+ (70,000) kyats, A(50,000) kyats, B(30,000)kyats and C(20,000)kyats. But the bonuses are biased so the one who really proficient are suffering.

Workers are not entitled to legal casual and medical leaves. They also don’t get access to social security although they contributed to it. Workers are cut 5,800 kyats daily wages, attendance bonus 20,000 kyats and their expert fees according to their levels.

The factory which is owned by a Chinese national is operating with more than 400 workers and manufacturing mayoral brand warm clothes.

The workers’ appeals are to

- Promote day laborers with more than 3 months of service to permanent stuffs

- To not force free overtime and not to pressure to work free overtime

- Not to bias against the expert fee

- The cavity manager to not verbally abuse the workers

- To allow legal leaves and social security

- To only ask the fabric output which is inlined with the workers’ productivity