By Min Ni Kyaw - Jul 19, 2024
I have been working at the New Plus garment factory as a seamstress for – years. They revoked the 4:30 p.m. break time since the covid-19 pandemic but they gave 900 kyats for that 30 minute break time. But we are not allowed to eat a snack and the officer janitor verbally assault if we do due to hunger. She also verbally assault us when we are going on the transportation ferry at 8:00 p.m.
The factory call meeting at the end of June and said we will get paid 1,000 kyats allowance if everyone in the factory works overtime until 8:00 p.m. So, we are working until 8:00 p.m. without eating since lunch.
It have been a long time that we are working until 8:00 p.m. and not getting off on Sundays. The supers never work until that late. They said due to the political situations. But they don’t have sympathy on us. Both the factory and the supers force us to work overtime.
We arrived back home late due to working overtime until 8:00 p.m. and electricity usually goes off by that time. It is really incontinent for us to cook at that time. Working late at night and not having a holiday cause us health issues in long term. We can accept casual necessary overtime but they are forcing us every day and every night.
Nothing was changed even after the Myanmar Labour News reported about New Plus factory.
Inspectors from labor office arrived to due to various complaints regarding the overtime. They call some workers and make them to write down. The factory call late night overtime even on the day they came and also the next days. No one came to inspect anymore. Only the one who complaint is busy as there is no progresses even after inspections.
Workers want to work only within the legal limits for overtime. We can only want to work until 7:00 p.m.
Only the supervisors and factory benefits no matter how hard we work. We are being verbally abused every time we eat or go back. It’s a disaster.
They don’t ask if we want a snack break or want to work until 8:00 p.m. It would be convenient if they follow the laws.
(Information – New Plus Garment factory is a factory owned by a Chinese national and located at Kyauk Sein Street, Thar Du Kan Industrial Zone, Shwe Pyi Thar Township. The factory is manufacturing Feel Sky, WOOLLYTEC and other brands with around 1,000 work force. According to the latest information obtained by Myanmar Labor News, the factory is are also manufacturing brand clothes like LKM, Global Work and HEAR. On June 20, five male officers from Shwe Pyi Thar Township Labour Office inspected the factory but no action was taken. The workers have said that the factory is still calling for excessive overtime and abuses continues in the workplace.)
