By Ma Ma - Feb 24, 2025
Workers from Chinese-owned Beaume International Garment Mfg Limited, report that they are required to work overtime even on public holidays, and that the Workplace Coordinating Committee (WCC)—which is supposed to mediate disputes between employers and workers—only advocates for meeting production targets rather than addressing worker concerns.
The factory, located on Phan Chat Wun U Shwe Oo Road in Industrial Zone (2), Hlaing Thar Yar Township, employs over 900 workers.
There is no trade union in the factory, and workers are engaged in sewing jackets, jeans, reflective shirts, and raincoats for Japanese orders brands such as I'Z FRONTIER and NEO ENGINEER GEAR.
"Working hours start at 8:15 AM and end at 6:45 PM. On Saturdays, we have to work overtime from 8:15 AM until midnight. The employer forces us to stay even if we don’t want to work overtime. We are required to work until dawn when there are urgent orders. This happens so frequently that our health is starting to deteriorate, and many workers no longer want to work overtime. Additionally, we are required to work overtime on Sundays and public holidays without a break," said a factory worker.
Unrealistic production targets are being imposed, with 60-person sewing lines required to produce 400, 500, or even 600 garments per hour, depending on the garment style. In some cases, the requirement is set as low as 60 to 50 pieces per hour, but workers say these demands are still excessive.
Supervisors resort to harsh verbal abuse when workers fail to meet these targets, according to reports. Furthermore, workers who report to the factory but later need to leave due to illness or family emergencies are not allowed to do so, causing additional hardship.
"The WCC exists in the factory, but it does not help the workers at all. Instead, it only follows the employer’s instructions. Right now, WCC members—who have no real authority—are focusing only on pushing production quotas within the sewing lines. The factory’s sewage system is connected to the toilets, and a strong stench fills the workplace, but the employer has done nothing to fix it despite the health risks," said another worker.
The factory employs many underage workers, aged 14, 15, and 16, as daily wage laborers. Workers with five to six months of experience are not being made permanent employees, but instead continue to be hired as temporary daily wage workers. The workers have reached out to the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) for assistance due to these labor rights violations.
Workers are demanding that production targets be set at realistic levels that they can meet, the sewage issue causing foul odors in the factory be fixed, supervisors stop using verbal abuse when imposing production quotas, workers not be forced to work overtime until midnight or dawn and the WCC stop pressuring workers about production targets.
