By Hanthar Hein - Jul 18, 2024

Workers from Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion Garment Factory which located at U Htun Nyo Street, Industrial Zone 2, Hlaing Thar Yar Township said that they don’t get leave benefits and being violated upon their rights.

The factory owned by a Chinese national is operating with more than 600 workers to manufacture INEXTENSO brand shirts. There is no trade union organized in the factory to address the workplace disputes.

 The factory doesn’t give workers any types of leaves and cut daily wages, attendance bonus and stipend which is a total of 428,000 kyats. So, a day of absent is a great loss for the workers. 

Although they are paid 5,800 kyats daily wages, attendance bonus and stipends, their livelihoods become more difficult when a day of absent cost nearly all benefits.

“We don’t get casual leave even if we inform the supervisors by telephones. Around 40,000 kyats is cut for missing a day and they also cut the expert fee by proportion as well.  We are also discriminated by the supervisors for missing a day of work. The stipend 2,000 is not paid for day offs and if we absent. And only the workers who are confident with supervisors get grade bonus,” said a worker.

The workers also said about the excessive fabric output demanding in the factory.

“60 fabric points per hour is asked from a cavity with 14 to 20 people (which need to be 35) including the super and helper. Lines with more workforce are asked until 100,” a worker said.

The supervisors are verbally abusing and humiliating the workers for not getting the fabric output demands. The workers are feeling that they are working without dignity as they can’t finish the output due to lack of equivalent workforce. 

3 WCC members are forced to sign in May to work overtime until 8:30 p.m. (6:30 on Saturdays). The 3 members of WCC, manager and supervisors pressurized the workers who didn’t sign at first. 

“We have to work until 8:30 p.m. from May to the end of June on the grounds of important orders although we didn’t sign for. We also have to work overtime on every Sundays. Pregnant workers are humiliated in public for missing a day of work because they are really tired of working every day without a day off,” the worker explained.

It is also known that gate pass is also not allowed for the emergency issues and the supervisors call the workers into the office and force them to sign warning with the WCC if they don’t finish the unfairly asked fabric outputs demands. 

The workers are seeking resolvent regarding the mentioned violations and the workers appeals:

1. To allow legal leaves

2. The supervisors to not verbally abuse, discriminate and mistreat the workers

3. The WCC to not follow only the employer’s consents

4. To not ask unfair fabric outputs if there is no sufficient workforce

5. To not assign heavy tasks to pregnant workers