By Yoon Satt - Dec 06, 2023
It is said that the officials of the Tai Hong Garment Factory which locates at War Ta Yar industrial Zone, Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Yangon are not allowing medical leaves to pregnant workers and other workers, and are pressuring them to work.
The workers said that Tai Hong factory is a factory owned by a Chinese national, with around 1,000 workers, and manufacture clothes such as EVERLAST, DIEM and FB SISTER. They also said that there is no labor union formed in the factory, and there is no WCC group organized either.
According to the workers, the factory is using slanders on the pregnant, elderly female workers and those who don't work overtime on Sundays, forcing workers to quit their and to to take time off from work and forcing women workers to carry loads that were impossible for them to carry.
"If employees take medical leave, they do not get daily wages and attendance bonus. Pregnant women cannot take medical leave for two or three days. They don’t tell nothing about taking medical leave for a month. But if we continue to take medical leave for the next month, we will be asked to return the papers and report to the office. Those who took those leaves are forbitten from working overtime from a couple weeks to a month. The janitors are from 40 to 60 years old. They don’t get medical leaves too. Even if the doctor provide a prescription, they said they can’t allow. They make us leave a month if we ask to leave. They make sure they don’t give leaves. Also, there are cases about letting the workers who don’t work overtime on Sunday to take time off for a week,” they said.
The workers, who are comfortable with the factory officials missed 4 days of work, but they were not fired and no need to take time off for a week or a month. There is discrimination among the workers.
The workers of Tai Hong Garment Factory need the legal rights of pregnant workers and benefits and leaves for day laborers. They also said that, they want the factory to stop demanding unlimited hourly rates.
"There are cases of being fired for taking more than 3 days of leaves. Pregnant workers are not appointed for easy tasks but asked the same hourly rate with others. They also get sworn and yelled at if they go to the toilet too often, said the factory workers.
It is known that Tai Hong Garment Factory is recruiting young day laborers and not appointing them as permanent employees even they serve more than 6 months. In addition, a day laborer said that even though the day laborers had to work for over 11 hours from 7 am to 6 pm, they only received 4,500 kyats per day. Even though the day laborers were asked to work overtime until 6:00 p.m. on Sundays, they only get paid 4,500 kyats.
The day laborers said they suffer as they could visit the clinic only a day for workplace accident. They have to treat on their own schedule on the next days, and fired after being told to come back only if they got better.
Photo - (Old Picture) During the inspection of Tai Hong factory by Dica team in 2016
