By Min Ni Kyaw - Nov 23, 2023
The workers told Myanmar Labor News that Rainbow Soap Factory will be closed for 10 days after 7 union leaders were fired and the officials that they will pay the wages only for 5 days off.
"At first, they said they will be closed for the three days. We were told to work half day on Saturday or on Sundays with daily wages for those weekends. At that time, the union leaders did not accept the day off because there was no law stipulated. 5 days after the union leaders were fired, they called a meeting and said that they will pay for 5 days out of 10 days off but not the other five days" said one of the workers.
The workers said that the factory spoke about the holiday on November 21st, and that the wages for the 5 days would be equalized with the leaves or to work substitute days.
In 2019, when the factory union leaders protested about the workers' damages, the issues even reaches to the arbitration council, and as they won, the court instructed the factory side to drop the lawsuit, but the factory continued to sue.
After nearly 5 years of litigation, the union leaders were ordered by the court on November 15th to pay a fine of 15,000 kyats for two cases. The workers said that Rainbow soap factory officials had fired 7 workers who were sued for violating the EC contract.
"They want to fire union leaders for a long time since the 2019 protest. The supervisors of the township labor department themselves negotiated for the union leaders to resign during the trial period, the. They agreed to pay damages," said one of the workers.
10-day closure of the factory can be assumed as a prevention of a protest in the factory over the dismissal of the factory union leaders and forcing to work substitute days are trying to violate the rules, reviewed the factory workers.
"Since the first time they said the factory would be closed for a while, they said it would be closed for about 10 days. They want the factory workers to take days off instead of being closed. The law clearly states that workers are entitled to wages if the factory closes due to lack of tasks. This is planned to break the law by bargaining with the factory workers,” a worker said.
Chapter 2, Article 4 of the Leave and Working Holidays Act currently in use in Myanmar states that the employer must pay wages for the days that they cannot give the workers tasks.
In addition, the Workshops Act stipulates that if a workshop is temporarily closed, it is necessary to notify the Labor Inspection Department.
The workers said that Myanmar Consumer Enterprise factory that produces Rainbow soap oil is in No.129, Dagon Port Seik Kan Zone 1, Yangon and the owner is an Ethnic Chinese who is a Myanmar citizen.
Around 400 workers are working in the factory and they are manufacturing products such as Rainbow soap cream, Butterfly perfume oil, Bubble brand bath soap, Butterfly Laundry Goon Friend, Diaper Rainbow and Liquid Expert brands Dish soaps, various brand Rainbow brands and Rainbow brand powder.
The workers have said that they are breaking the laws by dismissals and negotiations are being carried although the union and WCC have been formed in the factory,.
