Myo Thein
Mar 10, 2026
Workers say officials at Nay Shwe Win garment factory have dismissed members of a legally formed basic labour organization (union).
“Five executive members of the factory’s labour organization were dismissed after being offered compensation. Another member refused the compensation. That labour leader was dismissed for allegedly organizing union activities while working,” workers said.
Workers said the factory offered compensation higher than the amount stipulated by law to the five executive members before dismissing them. Out of seven executive members of the labour organization, six have now been dismissed. Some workers who supported the trade union were also reportedly dismissed.
“One factory worker said the union chairperson was promoted to a leader position while the other labour leaders were dismissed. We heard that large compensation payments were offered to those who were dismissed. It appears the factory tried to stop union activities by promoting the chairperson to a leader position,” the worker said.
Some union members were dismissed under the pretext that there was no longer a need for workers. However, labour activists say the factory continues recruiting new workers, indicating a clear intention to dismantle the union.
“Last month the workers’ demands at the factory were quite strong. Because of that, it appears they intentionally dismantled the union. The compensation amounts were also large, and since the chairperson was promoted to a supervisory position, the salary is not small. These actions appear to be an attempt to break the union using money,” labour activists said.
Workers also say the factory manager responsible for dismissing union members previously attended training related to freedom of association, according to posts on his TikTok account. In addition, the Solidarity Trade Union of Myanmar (STUM) stated that although the manager had once been affiliated with a labour federation, he later testified as a witness in a case filed against STUM.
Workers said Nay Shwe Win garment factory receives garment orders from Nay Shwe Lin factory and also produces ONLY brand garments sourced from Ksheng factory. Both Nay Shwe Lin and Ksheng garment factories are part of the MADE project, which aims to directly protect workers’ livelihoods and fundamental labour rights.
The factory is located on Nga Pyaw Taw Road, Wataya Industrial Zone, Shwepyithar Township, Yangon, and produces garments for the brands TERRANOVA, FLO, CLOSSHI, Reserved, and ONLY.
