By Min Ni Kyaw  - Jun 11, 2024

The workers who will work overtime on Sunday are forced to sign that they work overtime for incomplete works in their records. 

"It was written, 'Because we didn't finish our work.'" We were asked to sign this. It's not that the workers didn't finish the job. The factory just forcing us to work overtime. The workers are abused if they don’t work overtime. It's like threatening to work overtime," the workers said.

Workers are only allowed to rest 2 days a month as they have to work Sundays twice a month. They are working more hours and having less free time causing health and social problems and the workers also said that it is not convenient to travel because of the rainy season.

"They forced us to work overtime on every day and also on Sundays. We are very tired and we need some rest. It sounds like they will cut 5,000 if we don’t work overtime. Only funerals are accepted among the social occasions," said one of the workers.

The factory's working hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with 3 hours overtime, and the workers have been working like this for 2 months. 

"From 12:30 noon to 7:30 p.m., we can’t rest at all. They do not let us have a meal. Those who eats are asked to sign a warning. Those who asked the workers to sign the warning are eating in the office with the air conditioner on," said a worker.

The workers also said that the rainwater in the dining hall inside the factory makes it impossible to sit and eat on rainy days, and the impurity of the drinking water continues.

A total of around 1,000 workers work in the New Talent Garment (Myanmar) Co.,Ltd garment factory's two buildings, and the factory is owned by Chinese nationals, the workers said. The factory locates at Own Nae Kone Village, Hlae Kuu Township, Yangon region and manufacturing socks and jackets.