By Hsu Latt Phyu - Jul 11, 2025

Workers at Myanmar Belle International Co. Ltd, a garment factory located in Myaseinyaung Industrial Zone, Hlaingthaya Township, Yangon Region, are working without rest due to forced overtime, and they are calling for one day off per week. They have sought help from the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).

The factory employs around 500 workers and manufacture garments for the Sinsay brand. It is Chinese citizen-owned and lacks both trade union and a workplace coordination committee, according to workers.

The regular working hours are from 8 AM to 7:30 PM, including 3 hours of standard overtime. Workers said they have been working up to 11.5 hours daily, and sometimes even until 11:30 PM since April 2025.

“We have to work overtime whether we want to or not. Sometimes they give plain rice, sometimes just a bun for dinner. We go home on our own in the morning after working overtime for all night. It’s hard to get back home if we work until 11:30 PM, so we sleep at the factory and return in the morning. When we get home, we only have time to shower and come back before 8 AM. Overtime, we can't take it anymore—commuting and health are being affected,” a worker said.

This overtime, extending to 11:30 PM, happens not just from Monday to Friday but also on Saturdays and Sundays, with no days off, prompting workers to demand rest days.

“There’s no action taken although when we complain about the excessive overtime,” the worker added.