By Min Ni Kyaw - Mar 29, 2024

7 Myanmar workers leaders who protested in Industrial Zone 4, Yin Jang, Yunan, China to get the labor rights were dismissed according to the CO president of NLF_Myanmar.

“7 workers who were dismissed have to Myanmar. They even have to sell their phones. They were neither get paid their salary but only 300 Yuan per worker,” said Daw Tin Tin Wai, the CO president of News Light Federation of Trade Unions, Myanmar (NLF_Myanmar).

There are more than 300 migrant workers working in the factory and 173 Myanmar workers protested in March 7, requesting 8 facts.

Myanmar garment workers requested the factory to pay for overtime, to set a basic salary, to give attendance bonus, to give holiday on Sundays, not to cut 100 yuan for being late.

The legal working hours in China is 8 hours a day and 44 hours a week with half day on Saturday. But the Myanmar garment workers in China have to work more than 12 houurs a day.

Workers said that Xinjiahao factory force them to work until 9:00 or 10:00 pm if they can’t finish the fabrics, verbally abusing in Chinese language, abusing the labor rights and dismissing.

During the collective request, the employer threatened to send all the workers back to Myanmar, and although they verbally agreed to negotiations without signing a contract, the factory fired 7 workers the next day.

“Every requests were ok but they don’t give the contract yet. They said they agreed verbally. They interpreter threatens us on March 7, when we were going back home. And the interpreter came to said the next day that 7 leaders are dismissed with a blacklist to enter China for the next five years,” they said.

The 7 dismissed workers tried to negotiate with the employer, but could not help as the interpreter only translate what the employer said. After that, the factory manager sent 7 workers to the police station and forced them to sign that they had voluntarily returned to Myanmar.