By Citizen Journalists - Nov 15, 2024
Workers at Prettex Myanmar Factory in Shwe Pyi Thar Township reported about continuous overtime without break. On November 14, workers were assigned to work extended hours, including all-night overtime, prompting them to contact the chief officer of Department of Labour Relations. Despite the complaint, workers continued their overtime though the whole night.
"Last Sunday, we had to work overtime, and now we're forced to do all-night overtime again—we’re extremely exhausted. When they call for overtime, they don’t ask our consents; they just write down our names and make us sign afterward, even including mothers with young children. Saying ‘no’ is not an option. We contacted the labor officer at 12:30 PM, but they only arrived at 10 PM. By that time, the overtime was nearly finished, and even after the inspection, nothing changed. After we complained, they stopped calling for all-night and all-morning shifts and said they would change the hours from 6 PM to 7 PM temporarily, promising to return to normal hours at 6 PM. However, it’s been two months now, and we’re still working these shifts, with all-night and mid-night overtime shifts starting again as well. Ever since the Thadingyut holidays, we haven’t had a single rest day, and if we refuse OT, supervisors threaten us to resign. ven now, we reached out to the labor officer for help, but after inspecting, nothing changed. Workers are still being forced to do all-night shifts," said one factory worker.
Although the labor officer was informed about the forced all-night overtime that afternoon and witnessed workers doing all-night shifts during the factory inspection, no action was taken, leaving the workers to continue suffering.
The regular working hours at the factory are from 7:30 AM to 7 PM on weekdays, and 7:30 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays, according to employees.
Under a directive issued in 2022 by the Department of Labor Inspection, overtime hours must not exceed 20 hours per week, and factories must seek prior approval from labor authorities and secure workers’ consent through signed agreements.
Prettex Myanmar Factory, located in the Thar Dhu Kan Industrial Zone in Shew Pyi Thar Township, employs around 1,000 workers and is fully operating by foreign investment and owned by Chinese national, the factory manufactures brands such as "Have a Wonderful Day" "Chinese National Geography" and "Reserved".
