By Yoon Sat - Dec 31, 2024
Workers from Sunrise Myanmar Fashion Garment Factory, owned by a Chinese national and located on Kyauk Sein Road, Thar Dhu Kan Industrial Zone (4), Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Yangon Region, report ongoing labor rights violations despite a recent inspection by Deputy Minister of Labour U Win Shein.
On December 26, at around 1 PM, U Win Shein, accompanied by over 20 officials, including police, military personnel, and representatives from the Department of Labour, visited the factory for an inspection. During the visit, the Deputy Minister met with the factory manager and the Workplace Coordinating Committee (WCC).
According to workers, the WCC only mentioned “issues with drinking cups and toilets” but did not truthfully report the actual problems in the workplace when U Win Shein inquired about the issues in the factory.
“U Win Shein toured the factory and asked, ‘How much do you earn here?’ When the workers replied that they earned over 300,000 to 400,000 kyats, he said, ‘That’s not bad. If you have siblings back in your villages, invite them here to work. Also, the men should not harass the women or flirt if they don’t intend to marry, and women should choose good men as partners.’ That’s all he said,” recounted a worker who requested anonymity.
On the day of the visit, daily wage workers were reportedly barred from entering the factory and were denied wages for that day. Additionally, the factory management intimidated to terminate workers.
Despite U Win Shein’s visit and subsequent comments indicating that the factory was operating well, workers claim that nothing has improved. They continue to face forced overtime and ongoing violations of their labor rights.
“Daily wage workers are not given permanent contracts even after working for three to six months. New workers are hired in their place if they are dismissed. We have to work overtime until 9 or 10 PM, but the ferry services are insufficient, and women are forced to cling to the vehicles to get home. The factory shows no responsibility even if someone falls off. The management continues to exploit us and violate our rights. That’s why there have been frequent reports about this factory,” said another worker.
The factory employs over 1,000 workers and produces clothing for brands such as Recycle and CLOSSHI Biz. There is no trade union in the factory, only a WCC.
The standard working hours are from 8 AM to 7 PM, but workers are often forced to work overtime until 9 PM, and in some cases, overnight shifts. They risk being dismissed if they refuse to work overtime.
Despite working for three to six months, many workers remain classified as daily wage workers rather than being granted permanent status. Workers say they frequently file complaints, but no action is taken.
In addition to mandatory overtime until 9 PM, workers report being forced to work on holidays to earn around 400,000 kyats per month, requiring over 100 hours of overtime per month, which negatively impacts their social and physical well-being.
Workers had to work a substitution day on December 25 (Christmas Day) for the upcoming holiday on December 30. They were also forced to work overtime on December 29 and 30 under pressure from the management.
“There were originally supposed to be five holidays in December, but now we only got three, and we had to work one of the supposed holidays as a substitution day,” said a worker.
Over a year ago, a female worker died in a traffic accident involving a truck after working overtime. The factory removed her name from the overtime records and took no responsibility for her death. Workers are now demanding that the factory take responsibility for their safety during overtime hours.
Despite writing suggestions and complaints on factory suggestion boards and filing reports to the Department of Labor and posting on social media, workers say that their concerns have not been addressed.
The workers have put forward the following demands:
- Resolvent regarding U Win Shein’s state that the factory was operating well despite knowing ongoing labor rights violations
- Daily wage workers who have been employed for more than three months must be granted permanent status.
- Overtime should be limited to the legally allowed two hours per day.
- The factory must take responsibility for ensuring the safety of workers returning home after overtime.
- The factory must expand its ferry services to accommodate all workers.
