By Min Ni Kyaw - Apr 08, 2025
According to worker from S.H Co., Ltd garment factory, employees— including pregnant women— are being subjected to verbal abuse and physical mistreatment by factory supervisors.
“The yelling is so loud that some workers even get pricked by needles while sewing. But the shouting doesn’t stop. They call us names like ‘pro*****tes’, ‘bi***es’, ‘i**ots’, ‘wh**es, and worse—starting from 8 AM when the shift begins. Supervisors insult line workers for not understanding instructions after just a couple of sample pieces. They slap, hit, and constantly lay hands on us,” a worker said.
Although such behavior temporarily stopped after previous reports were made public, workers claim that verbal abuse continues, even against pregnant women. One female worker stated they are forced to sew continuously under a piece-rate system and are not allowed to use the toilet or take water breaks.
“They pay by the piece. Most machine operators get two points per item, but we’re pushed to complete three or four points and get insulted when we can’t. If the target is 25 pieces an hour, that’s 250 a day—just to meet the base piece rate. But they now ask for 35 pieces. It’s nearly impossible to earn even the base wage. We don’t get fair pay even if we meet the quota. If a supervisor likes employee, they get better rates. They finish with 100 pieces and already hit their goal. We face discrimination even among ourselves,” another worker said.
Many workers are reportedly suffering from health issues like urinary tract infections and constipation due to unrealistic production targets and the hot season and being denied access to water and toilets.
On payday, the factory regularly collects mandatory “donations.” Workers report that for this Thingyan, they are being asked to contribute between 10,000 to 15,000 kyats each.
“We have to pay out of fear even if we can't afford it. The supervisors treat people differently. If they like you, it’s one way; if not, it’s another. They’re the ones who decide who gets fired. Sometimes, even the factory management doesn’t know. They told us the daily rate increased to 9,500 kyats, but we were paid based on 5,800 kyats. Holidays are calculated with the lower rate,” one worker said.
The factory, owned by a Chinese national, is located on Makhyar Minthar Gyi Maung Pyo Road, Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone (2). Over 1,000 workers are currently employed at the factory, which is manufacturing LCW MODEST brand according to the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).
