By Yoon Sat - Jul 05, 2024
It is said that GYSen Myanmar garment factory which located at War Ta Yar Industrial Zone, Shwe Pyi Thar dismiss the leaders and the members of their trade union which was legally formed in last 4 years with compensation.
50 workers including the leaders and members of the union from button and iron department are dismissed on April 10, 2024 on the grounds of layoff. But starting from April 26, day laborers from Packing department are working at the Button Section and at the Iron department on May 9. Line helpers are also assigned to work at Iron department as day laborers on May 13th.
According to the evidence above, the entrepreneur did not reduce the workforce due to the lack of orders, but only pretended to fire the workers in order to dismiss the union leaders in the factory. The Unsatisfied workers complained to the Department of Labor, but no action was taken.
After that, 9 people were selected as members of the legally formed trade union again in the factory, and 9 of them were also dismissed from their jobs as well.
"They cracked down the union. Regarding that issue, they fired more than 60 workers. The union was re-established from those who remained from the other line, the ECs who remained without compensation. I heard that the remaining workers were compensated by the employer the other day. 9 remained. I heard that the entrepreneur paid compensation to those 9 people. 7 men and 2 women," said a person assisting the workers.
The dismissal is the breaking up of a legally organized union so the workers filed a letter to the Registrar General to sue the entrepreneur for violating Section 44(d) and Section 50(a) of the Labor Organization Law so that the authorities can take action against the employer, but no action was taken and the employer and employee negotiated compensation.
"It is not a good solution to accept the compensation and dismissal of the entrepreneur. There should not be union if they resign with compensation. The situation is frustrating. There were 9 people left in the line. The first layoff included all of them. I don't know when the 9 newly formed ECs were also compensated," said the labor activist.
STUM (Solidarity of Trade Unions, Myanmar) 's values strongly opposed to employers’ layoffs which the compensation exceed the law.
STUM said that they strongly condemns the (9) workers and a worker from Shun Main Zar Sein factory who created problems within the workplace by seeking severance pay from their employer and made a series of requests to the employer with the desire to receive compensation.
Cracking down the trade union is a violation of the right to freedom of association according to ILO Convention 87, as well as the dismissal of union members to break up the labor union in the factory, but the employer who violated the labor law and was not prosecuted so it is said that the factory’s actions are condemned and recorded.
