By Min Ni Kyaw - Mar 20, 2025
Workers from the Universal Apparel Co., Ltd, a garment factory located in Ngwe Pin Lae Industrial Zone, reported that factory management, from the CEO down to line leaders, have been collecting forced monetary contributions from workers to celebrate their birthdays, according to statements made to the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).
“We’re made to contribute money for the CEO’s birthday, the factory manager’s birthday, the manager’s birthday, the HR manager’s birthday, the assistant supervisors’, the supervisors’, and even the line leaders’ birthdays. That’s not all—they deduct money saying it’s for giving gifts to managers and supervisors during festive times. They’re taking 3,000 kyat from each worker for the Thingyan celebration. These deductions happen monthly. It feels like there’s always something going on. They deduct up to 20,000 kyat per worker for the CEO or factory manager’s birthdays. With over 1,000 workers, that adds up to around 200 lakhs kyat. That’s why we think these birthdays are always being celebrated,” said one worker.
According to workers, their daily wages include a basic wage of 6,000–7,000 kyat, an attendance bonus of 30,000 kyat, and a skill bonus of 13,000–14,000 kyat. Due to the relatively low wages compared to other factories, one worker reportedly earned just over 300,000 kyat in February. As such, regular deductions for birthdays, celebrations, and tribute ceremonies make it difficult for workers to manage their finances.
“We can’t afford to keep paying because these collections happen monthly. The collections never stop even if we file complaints through the factory’s suggestion box. The manager, HR, assistant supervisors, supervisors, and line leaders all earn much higher salaries. These events are held so they can save face, but the cost is being borne by the workers—and it’s been going on for years. Workers face discrimination or are singled out for criticism by the supervisors and line leaders if they refuse to contribute,” a female worker stated.
“The people having the birthdays and receiving tributes earn way more than us. Someone who wants to voluntarily contribute should do but right now, it’s like being robbed—we have no choice. We’ve been forced to give money every time there’s a birthday. wW risk being targeted if we complain,” she added.
Universal Apparel Co., Ltd is located in Ngwe Pin Lae Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon. It is a South Korean national-owned garment factory, according to the workers. Approximately 1,000 workers are employed there, and the factory manufacture brands like MOORES, DUMRP, and Dutmp, which are exported to the United States, Canada, and South Korea.
