By Myo Thein - Aug 31, 2025
Workers at Myanmar Huasheng Kefu Fashion garment factory say they are being verbally abused and forced to work under pressure from foreigners, who constantly watch over them and demand performance beyond limits making them feel like prisoners.
“They shout at us with a microphone when we don’t meet the garment quotas. The supervisors are scolded first, then they go down the line and pressure the sewing workers again, yelling and forcing us to work. If we can’t meet the targets or if something goes wrong with the pieces, we get shouted at. And in the middle of that, the Chinese supervisors stare at us and pressure us even more. We work, but they treat us like inmates,” workers said.
They added that the factory demands hourly garment quotas and that over 50 workers aged 15–16 are working inside the factory without medical clearance, performing the same jobs as adult workers. They also said that they were called midnight overtime until 12:00 am without their consent in the last week.
“They constantly call for overtime whether we agree or not. Working both day and night with no rest has affected our sleep and health. They even make us do overtime on Sundays. We are forced to work even when we don’t want to,” they said.
Workers said they are not allowed to take emergency or sick leave despite working such long hours without consent. If they are absent, deductions are imposed: 11,000 MMK for daily wage and 25,000 MMK for attendance bonus. Missing two days means losing the full attendance bonus.
“There’s no such thing as leave. They don’t grant leave or give any associated benefits. One day off means losing 11,000 and 25,000 kyats. Two days off and we lose everything. The clinic nurse is hard to find, and when we find her there’s no medicine even when we force ourselves to come to work whole being unsell,” they said.
Workers also noted that while the daily wage has been slightly increased, their skill bonuses are being reduced or limited to offset the pay raise, so their overall salary remains unchanged.
“They’ve limited the number of people who can get the skill bonus. No matter how skilled you are, we don’t get it if the quota is filled. When inspection teams come, HR and supervisors choose which workers can speak. On those days, they stop overtime to make it look like nothing’s wrong. That’s how they manage to keep the violations hidden. They also frequently fire people,” workers said.
Myanmar Huasheng Kefu Fashion Co., Ltd is located in Myo Thit Industrial Zone, Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon, and is reportedly owned by Chinese national. Over 700 workers are currently manufacturing brands including Nomad, Terranova, Lutique, Sinsay, and Palemo Store.
