By Min Ni Kyaw - May 16, 2025

Workers from Tsang Yih factory, factory management, and officials from the Ministry of Labour are engaged in tripartite negotiations following a wage increase protest, a worker told Myanmar Labour News.

“We’re currently waiting for the outcome of the negotiation. They took about six worker representatives inside. I saw two officials from the labour office arrive. Couldn’t see clearly from a distance. Workers are just waiting for the result,” said a female worker participating in the protest.

Workers at the Tsang Yih garment factory began a work stoppage demanding an increase in daily wages on the afternoon of May 14. Various negotiation attempts were made to get workers to return to the factory while awaiting a response from management over the course of three days.

“We don’t trust the factory. They’re refusing to give a full 100% guarantee on the proposed wage increase during the three-day demand period. So, we’ll just wait to see if the factory raises the wage. They called four worker representatives to negotiate, but it didn’t go well. They asked us to wait five days — we’ll wait, but we won’t return to work yet,” the worker said.

The HR manager reportedly stated that the strike and demands were not lawful, as the workers had not followed the proper procedures for negotiation, and encouraged them to return to work and wait for the outcome of the discussion.

“We’ll return to work immediately if our demands are fully met. For now, we’ll keep going like this,” said another worker.

Approximately 6,000 workers have taken part in the protest. Tsang Yih shoe factory is located in Anawrahta Industrial Zone 2, near Apyinpadan Ward, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon.