Workers told the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) that Saifeom International Garment Myanmar is forcing them to work even on Sundays, leaving them with no rest days.

“They no longer give Sundays off and force us to work. Even when we say they cannot work, the factory pressures us to come in. They say we won’t be given bonuses if we refuse overtime. Workers have reported this to the labor office, but nothing has changed,” an IWFM official told Myanmar Labour News.

In December, continuous Sunday overtime was imposed, and although complaints were made by phone to the relevant township labor office, no action was taken. IWFM representatives said that labor officials themselves are effectively working together with employers to violate workers’ rights.

“The factory denies leave, cuts wages, discriminates against workers, and restricts overtime opportunities selectively, causing workers to lose many of their rights,” an IWFM official said. “If a day is marked as absence, bonuses are cut. At the same time, workers who are not allowed to work overtime lose access to ferry transportation. Expenses increase for everything. Workers cannot afford to lose the bonuses, daily wages, or attendance pay they have already earned just because of one unavoidable absence. This is exploitation of labor.”

Workers also reported ongoing discrepancies in wages and bonuses. Although complaints were filed with the township labor office, no effective resolution has been provided.

“There were bonus discrepancies in November wages. Affected workers reported the issue to the township mediation office, which then referred the case to the factory and labor inspection office. The inspection office said it would submit the case to Naypyitaw, but no decision has been made yet. Meanwhile, the factory continues to distribute bonuses unequally and has summoned workers who complained, pressuring them to resign in exchange for compensation,” a worker said.

Workers said discrimination inside the factory has led to bribery and favoritism, resulting in the loss of workers’ rights.

“Sewing-line workers are paid through a combination of daily wages, attendance bonuses, per-card pay, production bonuses, annual bonuses, and skill allowances. Other departments do not receive skill allowances. OS staff give priority only to workers they are close to, those they hired, or their relatives. With per-card pay, they even demand money back, saying things like ‘You were given 10,000 kyats extra—give it back,’ or ‘You got 5,000 extra—return it.’ Workers don’t fully understand the system and are forced to pay it back. This is outright exploitation by those in power at the factory,” workers said.