By Min Ni Kyaw - Mar 21, 2025
Workers from SM Myanmar Garment, Shwe Than Lwin Industrial Zone report being forced to work overtime without receiving corresponding payment. The factory has 11 production lines and employs around 500 workers.
“They say the garments are urgent or the targets haven’t been met, and then they make us work overtime. Sometimes we have to work until 8 p.m. The supervisors yell at us if we don’t. The worst part is that we often have to sew until 8 p.m. for free when we can’t meet the target,” the workers said.
They also stated that the factory sets targets higher than what workers can realistically achieve. Supervisors shout, insult, and scold them on a daily basis if the targets aren’t met. Although job postings claim workers will receive entitled benefits, in practice these are not granted. Workers are denied emergency leave and seniority leave as prescribed by law. Due to this, most workers receive unpaid leave and are also denied monthly attendance bonuses.
“The monthly attendance bonus is 30,000 kyats. But no matter the type of leave, they cut the entire 30,000 for missing a day. We won’t get the bonus even if you work 24 days in a month. They make us start work on the second day of the month, so it’s impossible to meet the attendance days. For ticket (piece-rate) pay, they say it’s based on points per completed garment, but the points are only counted if we hit a certain percentage of the target. That percentage is determined by them, and we don’t know how it’s calculated. We only get paid if they approve it even if we finish the target. No one knows how they calculate the payment. Some workers who get along well with the supervisors or comply with all orders get higher payments than those who actually do more work,” workers said.
Base fines start at 4,800 kyats, while skilled sewing workers graded A++, A+, and A receive 8,800 kyats. Those graded B and C receive 7,800 kyats. Overtime pay is also tiered according to skill level. Only a few workers qualify as Group A, while most are categorized as B or C, according to the workers.
Although SM Myanmar Garment has a medical clinic, workers report that there are no nurses or medicine, and despite being told the water is clean, it emits unpleasant odors. Moreover, workers are exposed to foul smells during working hours since the workplace and toilet areas are located close to each other. Workers who resign are not given the standard 8,800 kyat daily wage but are instead given 4,800 kyats, resulting in a significant wage loss.
Due to the absence of worker representation groups like unions or Workplace Coordination Committees (WCC) at SM Myanmar Garment, workers have brought their concerns to the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM). The factory is owned by a Chinese national and is located on Min Aya Road, Shwe Than Lwin Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon.
