By Min Ni Kyaw - Oct 05, 2025
Workers at the HERMITE toy factory in Yangon report that they are facing unlawful wage deductions, threats, and favoritism from senior staff. workers say they are not receiving full payment for the hours they’ve worked although the factory operates under a “ticket system,”.
“When we ask why our wages are cut, the factory manager just says it’s being deducted without providing us a reason. We often lose part of our wages even though we’ve worked the full hours. They tell us we didn’t do any real work,” said one worker.
Notably, supervisors and line leaders are also subjected to wage deductions, often for various reasons, and many report significant losses in pay. Workers say that line leaders are often made to perform unrelated tasks and suffer financially as a result.
“Supervisors lose 30,000 kyats if someone on the line misses a day. Supervisors get up to 100,000 kyats deducted if the clerks miscount the dolls. Line leaders are told to do QC (quality control) work, but when it comes time to get paid, they earn less than actual QC staff,” a worker explained.
Workers also alleged that Area Supervisor Tin Tin Htwe frequently uses her position to intimidate them.
“She says things like, ‘If I don’t like you, I can fire, transfer, or demote you.’ If something goes wrong and her superiors are unhappy, she blames us and says, ‘I’ll make sure you’re taken down with me if I lose my position,’” said one employee.
Additionally, although Tin Tin Htwe verbally claims not to show favoritism in assigning duties for doll production, workers say she actually engages in blatant favoritism on the floor.
Workers say she led efforts to collect money from staff under the pretext of offering tribute to the factory’s Korean manager and Chinese supervisors, including the general manager during major holidays like Thadingyut.
The HERMITE toy factory is located on Kyauk Sain Road, Thadukan Industrial Zone, Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Yangon. It employs around 1,000 workers. The factory is owned by a South Korean national but managed by a Chinese supervisor, according to Myanmar Labour News.
