Myo Thein
Workers told the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) that more than 100 workers at Huasheng Golden Fashion garment factory were dismissed after a visit by the junta-appointed labor minister.
According to workers, after the so-called labor minister visited the factory on November 15, management announced on payday that more than 100 workers—including underage workers and workers without their own national ID cards—would be dismissed.
“When news about the planned dismissals spread online, the factory then said they would not immediately dismiss underage workers and those without personal ID cards, but would give them another three months. They said workers using fake IDs would have to redo verification and would be dismissed if they could not provide real IDs by the deadline. For underage workers, they said they would be demoted instead,” workers said.
During November, similar situations emerged at two garment factories where more than 200 workers faced dismissal under the pretext of ID and age verification. At the same time, the so-called labor minister is reportedly planning to contest a parliamentary seat in Hlaingtharyar (West), the township with the highest concentration of workers.
Workers said that although the labor minister visited Myanmar Huasheng Golden Fashion garment factory for inspection, workplace abuses have continued. These include forced production targets, rude verbal abuse, denial of legally guaranteed leave, and wage deductions.
“We don’t get casual leave or medical leave. They deduct 11,000 kyats from the daily wage and more than 30,000 kyats from the 50,000-kyat attendance bonus, taking deductions both before and after if we take leave and miss one day of work. Whether labour ministry officials come or even if the minister comes himself, it has never helped workers at all,” workers said.
Myanmar Huasheng Golden Fashion Co., Ltd. is located in Mya Sein Yaung Industrial Zone, Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon. The factory employs more than 1,000 workers and is owned by Chinese nationals. It is producing garments for the PAPAYA brand, according to workers.
