By Ma Ma- Dec 30, 2024
Despite the fact that many factories in the country have either dismissed union leaders without valid reasons or have almost no independent unions, Deputy Minister U Win Shein of the Ministry of Labour stated that technical support would be provided as necessary to help establish unions step by step in line with the 2011 Labor Organization Law.
He made this statement during a meeting with grassroots labor organization members from factories and workplaces held on December 26 at the Kanaung Hall in the Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone, Yangon Region.
According to information obtained by Myanmar Labour News, most factories no longer have grassroots unions that were established before the military takeover, and instead, only WCC (Workplace Coordinating Committees) formed by employers remain.
“We held a peaceful protest regarding wages and working conditions in May. The news also covered it. After that, the workers elected three male representatives as union leaders, but they were put on the WCC by the factory. Later, they started collaborating with HR and oppressing the workers. They tightened workplace rules, and those who sold snacks and betel nuts were identified and dismissed. They also forcibly inspected workers chewing betel nuts and dismissed them. Workers were subjected to different forms of oppression every day. Now, the WCC members no longer do regular work but act as enforcers, monitoring workers and forcing them to do overtime punishments,” said a worker from Dishang Fashion (Myanmar) Co., Ltd.
Since the military takeover, employers have increasingly violated labor law provisions openly and have taken actions to ensure that those who demand their rights in line with the law are excluded from workplaces.
In this situation, some union leaders lost their jobs, and there were also instances where union leaders were arrested on accusations of opposing the military dictatorship.
Currently, efforts are being made to impose comprehensive economic sanctions under Article 33 of the ILO Constitution against the military regime, which has been carrying out forced labor, violating employer and worker rights, and committing human rights violations.
According to the decision made at the ILO conference on November 6, 2024, the ILO Governing Body instructed the ILO Director-General to draft a resolution under Article 33 of the ILO Constitution to take action against Myanmar’s military regime for failing to comply with ILO Conventions 87 and 29, which concern freedom of association and the prohibition of forced labor.
The military regime has been merely pretending to implement the recommendations of the ILO’s inquiry commission, without making genuine reforms, according to U Maung Maung, the president of the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM), who previously criticized the regime’s actions.
