May Day message
Solidarity of Trade Unions, Myanmar
We would like to send a message to the workers on International Workers' Day that we are amazed and proud of them for being able to endure so much hardship. Because the minimum wage should have changed in 2020 but they didn’t. In fact, since 2017, the minimum wage has to be reviewed. Since those times, they have tolerated low wages, and now there is no workers who don’t have debts when commodity prices have risen excessively so that we want to say that we am proud of them for being able to live with this misery in this debt cycle, with this minimum wage.
In fact, there are many things they should say and do, and the time has come for them. I think there may be some people who are holding back because of political issues. However, we must talk about our issues if we should or otherwise people will ignore that. The workers are a class who have been ignored for generations, so they don't say anything making them to be ignored even more.
For the May Day request, number 1 is wages and number 2 is rights. There is a period that wages must be reviewed but the officials didn’t due to covid. They also might have a vision in the post-coup and they should spoke out what they didn’t get during the civil government. The time has come to review the period according to the law and it is the duty of the workers to speak out for it.
Another thing freedom of association, freedom of assembly. The right to assemble are on paper, but when there was a covid, we were arrested with safety regulations such as only how many people should be there and forced to disperse.
Now, it is stipulated that no more than 5 people can gather martial law impacted areas like industrial zones. The process of the union is gathering and collectively demanding. It may be other things apart from the politics that we would like to demand such as salary or social security issues in the workplace. There may be many issues that workers would like to collectively demand. But it is a loss that they are currently unable to do so.
In other words, everything is related. The politics in the country is not stable. At a time when the country can’t give full citizen rights, it is only a dream for us to fully enjoy labor rights. Citizens’ rights should be able to demanded anytime we like if we don’t satisfied with but the labor rights are ignored.
Many stakeholders lack focus. There are many issues that need to be resolved in every new government. There are a lot of issues that can gain a good name if they can solve them, so they prioritize only those kinds of things. When it comes to labor issues, they only ignore and solve them only when they can't turn a blind eye anymore.
Therefore, we should ask for good wages and reasonable working hours. If we don't ask, they will forget, and only our own people have the right to speak. We need to do these things. We are not doing decent work.
The difficulties and challenges we are currently facing are - No. 1 is wages, No. 2 is the lack of self-sufficiency in food, and the burdens in their child’s educations. Another thing is safety concerns. There are suppressions from many people when they go back to their remote areas. Its not like we are resisting the low wage issues but issues from every side.
They should know their rights. It is No 1 thing. Most workers believe the wrong facts and rules stipulated by the HR, Manager and Supervisors. There may be many things which is not in accordance with the law so they should study that. Some words are hilarious. They said trade union is an illegal organization and members are monitored by the military and could be arrested. Workers are believing those words.
In addition, the organizations working for labor rights have been declared illegal, and related person could be prosecuted. Only some workers speak out to us after believing those lies from the employers, HRs, Managers and Supervisors. They taught the law can’t help us. What we want to say is that we have 2 parts We try to solve it, face it, and if we can't, we have to record it. At this time, we need to record certain kind of things like who violated employer or authorities. But workers don't even give us such information. They are blaming to their karma. I want to say that everything is not because of karma. They are making their profession with sewing in garment factory. Being a seamstress is not an easy job so they should be proud of it and should be ready to take action if others violated their profession. If they are failing to make effort to take actions, the preparators would taught that they are right and enact more rules and laws to violate them more which makes the workers unenjoyable in the workplace.
Some left their length of service to go to Thailand or Malaysia. It shouldn’t be as the factories violated more and more. People from Rakhine can’t even go back to their places so they thought that even being violated it is enough to earn this much at this age while as a female. In summary, no matter what reason you arrived to the workplace, you learn and study your rights and laws. Try to know what you can demand and what organizations are there for you. Even if we solve with the brands to rehire the dismiss workers, they are afraid to be suppressed again so that they leave the workplace. So, the stability of employment is not an easy thing and have to make efforts from many sides. We have to think many ways more than only relying the brands to help.
We are not asking for much for May Day. We will ask for wages. We will no talk about cracking down the trade unions, not following the ILO’s conventions, weakness of the authorities, delaying in the legal process by the labor offices and the inconvenient in the court.
Our ability have limits. Actually, we want to raise the flag and sing workers’ songs on the streets of the industrial zones. We want to do like other people. Even if we have to do in a small room we can inspire and support the workers. Many workers are depressing because trade unions are cracked down rapidly. So, they would be happy, if they know that we care about them. But as we can’t do freely in public we can’t do a big campaign. May day activities from other countries strike with flags and singing around the roads showing the world what the workers demand and boost the May Day’s morale. We can’t boost that morale on Migrant Days or Decent Work days. There is only a day in the whole year we can do. So that we are hoping for that until the year we can campaign freely.
May the wages be increased, may there be no discrimination, may workers collective demands, may workers form organizations with freedoms are my wish for both Burmese new year and post May Day. The same goes for the workers around the world.
