By Hsu Latt Phyu - Aug 19, 2025
Workers at T.M.A Co.,Ltd garment factory, located on Myawaddy Min Gyi Road, Industrial Zone 4, Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon Region, say they have been forced to work excessively long hours without rest days.
According to workers, additional violations include verbal abuse towards female workers, unreasonable production targets, and the denial of legally entitled leave—all of which have caused significant distress. As a result, workers have sought assistance from the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).
The factory, which is Chinese-owned and employs more than 2,000 workers, reportedly does not have a labour union in place.
Workers stated that each sewing line comprising around 60 workers is expected to complete over 30 pieces of outerwear garments per hour. Male supervisors allegedly shout at and verbally abuse female workers using obscene language if the targets are not met. Workers are also reportedly forced to do extended overtime (night shifts known as "All-in" and "All-night") and work on Sundays without any days off to meet the targets.
"Workers are not given their rightful legal leave. Supervisors refuse to grant leave unless the worker is personally close to them even if they are ill or face family emergencies. This discrimination among workers is unfair. We lose leave entitlements and a large portion of our wages is cut if we miss a day, ," a worker said.
Additionally, over 100 daily-wage workers who have been working for more than three months have not been formally confirmed as permanent staff, resulting in continued insecurity and vulnerability.
workers have made the following demands to improve the workplace environment:
- Employers must refrain from forcing workers to do overtime on Sundays, public holidays, and special occasions.
- Workers who have completed more than three months must be granted formal employment status.
- Employers must allow all workers to enjoy their entitled leave, without discrimination.
- Male supervisors must stop shouting, verbally abusing, or using obscene language when workers fail to meet production targets.
- Even if workers cannot meet the production targets, employers must not enforce mandatory overtime or deny Sundays and holidays.
