By Min Ni Kyaw - Dec 30, 2023
The workers said that J-Land Myanmar Garment Factory is violating the minimum wage law and reduced their wages, and some officials are taking a cut of the workers' wages in the name of donations without their will.
J-Land Myanmar factory located in No.49, War Ta Yar Industrial Zone, Yangon and manufacturing world wide famous brand “GUESS” with around 800 laborers.
“We are employed as day laborers who take monthly salary. Daily wage starts at 4800, 5,000. On Sunday, the working hours are only part of the morning, but OT is not given for the evening working hours. They pay for the fixed day only. These days, those day laborers have become permanent workers. The rest of them are still working as day laborers," a worker told Myanmar Labour News.
Although there is no distinction between permanent, day laborers and tap-servicers, the workers said J-Land Myanmar day laborers have to work together the same permanent workers while not being entitled to leaves, overtime wages and attendance bonuses.
"Day laborers were not given rights as per the law, and they were not given allowances according to the instructions of the ministry. The instructions are issued in November to give 1000 allowance for that month. But the factory calculates the salary as 5200 for that month. That's what they are giving now until December. They said they would pay 5,800 at the end of the next month but they will also reduce the attendance bonus,” a J-Land Myanmar worker said.
5,200 per day wage is the wage rate that was raised in August, the workers said. They also said that when the wages were raised, the attendance bonus was reduced from 6,000 kyats to 3,000 kyats. In addition, the workers said that there are cuts in the wages of the workers against their will.
"For the first time, 3,000 was deducted from the salary with the reason to pay obeisance to the elders. The office cut it. And 5,000 was cut again for Tazaungtine. This is a forced deduction from a worker's salary." he said.
The workers said that as the brand representatives are there to come to inspect the J-Land Myanmar factory, they are reforming the factory clinic that was not there before and saw a nurse.
The workers said that the factory super and liter did not allow and swears them for taking gate pass and not working overtime due to health issues. A worker also said that the social security clinic allowed her to take leave, but the factory office rejected it as more than 30 days.
"The social security leave is full with 30 days because of maternity, taking care of the child and stroked mother. Unfortunately, I got ophthalmalgia. The clinic gave me a leave but the office did not allow it because it was 30 days. It is not suitable to work in a factory with people who are sore eyes. "said a worker who was not allowed to take a leave.
J-Land Myanmar factory officials have set rules that are not in line with the law, and around 20 workers have been fired based on those rules, according to aid groups.
J-Land Myanmar workers said that they want to appeal to pay minimum wages of 5,800 kyats, to reform the WCC, not to discriminate the workers, to eliminate workplace odors, to provide good ventilation, to be responsible for loss of property and not to deduct workers’ wages against their will.
