By Min Ni Kyaw - Oct 15, 2024
Workers from Prettex Myanmar factory said that the factory officials force them to sign to work overtime on Thadingyut holiday (October 16) which is a public holiday.
“The supervisor told us to delay to go back hometown and forcing overtime on holiday,” a worker explained.
Most of the workers came from remote areas and they have planned to go back home in holidays and being forced overtime without consents make them suffer.
“We have already bought the tickets and we will lose it. Those who will go back to Bago hires the whole van and they already loss. They are calling mandatory overtime and forcing us to sign without our desires. They intimidate us that we will not get permanent points if we don’t sign and will be replaced,” a worker explained.
There is a tradition of returning home on the day of the Thadingyut holidays for vernation of parents and elderlies in Myanmar Buddhist culture. In addition, Section (17) of the 1951 Leave and Working Holiday Act stipulates that employer must obtain the employee's will and request a prior permit from the Department before that day if the employee have to work on public holiday.
“They always complaint the workers but what they are doing is just wrong. Workers don’t have anyone to rely. Tit has been two years this factory is operating but there is no workplace coordination committee. Now they are manipulating the holidays only by their consents,” said a factory worker.
Chapter (2) Section (3) Sub-section (b) of the 2012 Labor Dispute Resolution Law stipulates that a workplace coordination committee must be established within a specified period in accordance with the requirements if there is no labor organization, in the workplace.
Prettex Myanmar locates at Thar Du Kan Industrial Zone, Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Yangon region and hires around 1,000 workers. The factory is owned by a Chinese national and operating with 100 percent foreign investments. The workers said that they are manufacturing Have a wonderful day and Chinese National Geography brand apparals.
