According to the labours, most of the factories in Yangon division say in last June that they will pay the labours a minimum wage of 5,600 MMK a day instead of 4,800 MMK a day, but they are still paying only 4,800 MMK as before.
Due to the high domestic good prices, the current rate that the labours receive is not enough to live on. International investments such as garment factories had announced that the daily wage will be increased from last June to 5,600 to 5,900 MMK. But as the government have not officially announced yet, there are still violations with various reasons.
“That’s true. Most factories don’t give 5,600 MMK. Some do and some only pay if the fabric meet the standards. Its only 4,800 MMK. Some factories even appoint on prohibition 3,600 MMK. As the laws don’t make these issues clear, the employers give only 3,600 MMK,” said a laboural activist.
In some workplaces, only day laborers are hired and paid only 4,800 kyats, and young workers and helpers 3,600 kyats.
“Some said that can't raise the price because the government has officially set it at 4,800 MMK. The law stipulates that you can pay a minimum of 4,800 MMK. There is no such things that forbit paying more than that,” said a female garment labour.
Most of the factories in Yangon announced in last May and June saying that they will pay the labours 5,600 MMK but only little increase from 4,800 to 5,600 MMK while most of them still paying as before.
Furthermore, prohibition labours are only paid 3,600 and 5,600 is only paid when the labours meet their heavy standard demands. Paying 1,400 MMK for an hour of overtime doesn’t fit for the overtime fee if the daily wages if 5,600 MMK.
In addition, even though the factory pays 5,600 MMK, if a labour is fired for any reason, the factory only pays 4,800 MMK severance pay for wages and legal damages, according to the workers.
“If they define daily wages as 5,600 MMK, overtime fee should be paid more than 1,400 MMK. We can say that getting only 1,400 MMK is not getting full wages. The labours are tolerating as only they don’t want to have any problems,” they continue.
“It would be comfortable only if we got minimum 10,000 MMK per day. I think we are working for 5,600 MMK more than 5 years. The government don’t watch over the labours and employers are taking advantages from this, exploitering.
The labours do report about paying only 4,800 while 5,600 is stated and paying the severance with 4,800 rates but as the domestic labours are being arrested, tortured and threatened, they have no choice rather than tolerating.
