By Min Ni Kyaw - May 12, 2025
#Letter
Let me tell you about the factory.
This is about the forced labour situation at Myanmar Ju Chuan shoe factory. The factory is located on Min Aayar Road, Shwe Than Lwin Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township. Management said they would call for overtime until 10 PM after Thingyan. The supervisors held meetings and informed us. They also said, “Please consider the factory’s situation.”
They changed it to 9 PM when workers said they arrived home late because they could only cook or shower after returning from work. Up to that point, workers agreed and accepted. But it didn’t stop there. On Saturday, May 3, the factory made us work until about 1:30 AM.
We only got to go home at 5 in the morning.
They didn’t provide us dinner. Just gave us one bun. They gave only a 30-minute dinner break for that night shift overtime. We had to work until 1:30 AM because of that half-hour break.
Finishing work at 1:30 AM meant there was nowhere to sleep, so we just slept wherever we could. Another line hadn’t met its production target yet at that hour, so they didn’t let us rest and made us keep working. With all the noise from machines and people, other workers couldn’t sleep.
Now, they call for overtime every Saturday until early Sunday morning (1:30 AM), so workers are exhausted and quitting the job.
They give overtime allowance once a week. They give 2,500 kyats for working overtime for five days. But this allowance isn’t given consistently. It depends on their mood. It’s hard to get leave. They deduct the attendance bonus if we miss a single day.
Workers are very tired and don’t get any rest. Mentally and physically, it’s very difficult.
Workers want to get rest. But they are forced to do overtime no matter what. Supervisors scold us if we don’t sign a form saying we are working overtime voluntarily. Section supervisors and line supervisors pressure workers in the workplace to work and do overtime, so workers don’t dare to say anything and just keep working.
We can still manage if it’s only two weeks per month that we work overtime until 4 AM. But now we have to do it all month, and it’s affecting our health.
Tomorrow (May 10), overtime has already been scheduled for the night. This time it’s not until 1:30 AM. They said we will have to work until 4 AM.
Most factories let workers off at 4 PM on salary day. But this factory makes us work until 5 PM.
They don’t pay salaries until after 4 PM so that workers keep working until 5 PM.
The old and new factory buildings are only separated by a road. We have to work until 11 PM every night in the new building. We have to work all-night overtime every Saturday.
We want to report these labour issues. But the factory won’t give a gate pass and deduct attendance bonuses if we try. So, we can’t go or don’t dare to report.
If given the opportunity, we will report.
Please help us too.
