By Hsu Latt Phyu - Jan 30, 2024
The workers from Myanmar LUXURY GROUP garment factory which locates near Phone Gyi Kyaung bus stop, Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Yangon Division said that they are having a hard time as there are violations in the workplace and no resolvents upon those.
The Chinese-owned factory has been operating for more than 5 years, and is currently manufacturing women clothing brands such as PROMOD and CALLIOPE with more than 600 workers and exporting to China.
The workers said that there was no trade union at that workplace, and the WCC was formed, but there was no effective negotiation and settlement of workplace disputes.
The worker explained about the violations is that they are forced to work overtime on Sundays, which are public holidays, until 12:00 p.m., and every worker chosen by the supervisors without being asked for consents are forced to work without the right to refuse.
The normal working hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. for the whole factory and the workers also have to work on Sundays and they also talked about their worries regarding difficulties going back home.
“The supers scold the workers who said they don’t want to work on Sundays. Only 1 Sunday of 4 is an off day per month and no off day at all for some months. No transportation is provided for late overtime hours. We have to go back with our own plan and we have security concerns on the way back home due to the current political circumstances,” said the workers.
More than 100 of more than 600 workers in the factory are day laborers who get paid weekly. The day labors are being violated such as getting only 5,800 kyats but not not overtime fees for 8 working hours in Saturdays, not appointed as permanent workers although they have 3 months to 1 year of service and being illegally dismissed.
As another violation, the workers were demand the fabric targets far more than they could sew and they had to work with little time to even drink water and go to a toilet during the working hours due to the pressure.
"Employment contracts (EC) are signed only after one year of employment. The contracts are signed by the employer and all are taken. No one dares to ask about labor rights," said the worker.
It is noted that the workers appeals are to call overtime only after asking their consents, not to recircuit the overtime until the midnight 12 o’clock, to pay the overtime wages with back date calculation, to ask only the fabric amounts the workers can sew, to take actions upon the verbal abasements of the in chargers and officers, to sign employment contracts on due dates and to provide EC hand the EC contract books to them.
