By Hsu Latt Phyu - Sep 25, 2024
Wrokers from MENGYUE Garment factory which located at No -, Mya Taung Wun Gyi U Mo Road, Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar township said that the factory is violating their rights by not providing employment contract.
The factory owned by a Chinese national hires more than 200 workers and manufacturing PALLTEX brand chef uniforms.
The factory opened in July 2024 and many managers were changed since then. Workers are having difficulties with frequently changed rules.
“They said they will give us 6,800 kyats daily wages, 2,000 kyats daily subsidy; a total of 8,800 kyats per day and 1,400 kyats per hour for overtime. Workers who resigned are not paid the subsidy and told that they can complaint at anywhere,” workers explained.
A production line only have 30 workers and asked for 30 uniforms per hour and labeled as backlog if they can’t finish in the time period.
“30 chef uniforms are asked per hour for each production line. It is labeled as backlog if we can’t finish and we had to work at the dinning time for that after finishing our meals quickly,” a worker said. The supervisors and managers verbally abuse the workers if they can’t finish the demanded outputs.
“The Chinese lady factory manager and her interpreter verbally abusing us every day. The Chinese lady speaks Burmese a little and cursed us in Burmese in favor of the employer. The interpreter is the same. They don’t get along with anyone and monitoring every actions of the workers,” said a worker from the workplace.
Workers are cut 6,800 kyats daily wages, 2,000 kyats daily subsidy and 30,000 kyats attendance bonus for any type of leaves or emergency gate pass assessments. Workers are not allowed to take casual and medical leaves in the factory.
It is also learnt that the factory doesn’t sign employment contract with the workers.
“There is no employment contract and manager said that their words are the rules. They are demonstrating the power in the workplace with the rules one-sidedly set by the employer. The HR manager turn a blind eye when Chinese nationals smoke in the factory but workers who smoke at the smoking area are forbitten by power,” a worker explained.
Workers are seeking resolvents regarding to the violations and their demands are
1. To not cut the 30,000 kyats attendance bonus for taking gate pass for health reasons
2. To provide employment contract
3. To not set one-sided rules and demonstrate power
4. The Chinese national lady factory manager and interpreter to not verbally abuse and treat the poorly to the workers
5. To ask only for the output which is in line with the workers productivity
