By Min Ni Kyaw - Oct 24, 2024
Workers from Myanmar Journey bag factory which locates at Watayar Industrial Zone said that the factory calls more than 20 hours overtime per week and they are even forced to sign for overtime agreement during the flood.
“They don’t ask our consents and call overtime until 8:00 pm on weekdays and also force us to sign agreement to work on Sunday,” the workers said.
The normal working hours are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm and the 2022 directive of the Workplace and Labor Law Inspection Department did not allow workers to work more than 20 hours of overtime per week, and the employer had to notify the department one week in advance and obtain approval if the workers were to work more overtime. In addition, employers are instructed to obtain the agreement of the workers in order to call for more overtime time.
“Not only the supervisors but also the manager call overtime. They don’t submit to the department and forced us to sign. We were summoned in the next day if we don’t work overtime and suspended from working normal overtimes. The new workers were forced to sign warning document and dismissed,” a worker said.
Workers are not allowed to take legal leaves and they had to enter the workplace 10 minutes earlier which they see as exploitation.
“We have to came 15 minutes earlier in the morning to attend meeting and we were not allowed to use restroom 15 minutes before the working hours finish. We can’t take any types of leaves and the veteran workers are also dismissed. We can’t take gate pass or go back home if we are sick,” they said.
The all super of the factory is a man and they discriminate the female workers, verbally abuse and intimidate the workers.
“The all super swears the female workers rudely and force us overtime. The rules are complicated and I think it is very unacceptable that we have to sign warning for not finishing the output demands.
Workers feel like inmates as they are monitored for using restrooms and forced to sign warning. The veteran workers are dismissed against the law and day laborers who are assigned the same tasks as permanent stuffs are also dismiss without regulations.
“Day laborers are not appointed for so long and dismissed if they don’t like. The same goes to veteran workers,” a worker explained.
Workers said that they have to submit resignation letter a month in advanced and the factory doesn’t pay the salary if they don’t and the salary can’t be taken by a representative person.
“We don’t get the salary if we don’t submit resignation letter. The manager pay the workers by third person for only who are confident with them. We have to come ourselves to get the salary. We don’t get gate pass for emergency or health reasons,” the worker explained about the discriminations.
Workers said that they request to go back as their houses are flooding but the factory denied. Workers are not allowed to take their phones inside the factory to prevent reporting the violations and workers who talk to each other are also forced to sign warnning.
The Myanmar Journey factory located at Road 2, Watayar Industrial Zone, Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Yangon and owned by a Chinese national. The factory is manufacturing Solo brand bags with more than 300 workforce.
