Workers Forced to Perform Unrelated Tasks While Bonuses Are Unfairly Deducted

By Ma Ma - Feb 20, 2025

Workers from the Chinese-owned KBL Garment factory said that male workers are being assigned tasks unrelated to their jobs, while bonuses that workers are entitled to are being unfairly reduced, according to factory employees.

The factory, located in Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Industrial Zone (3), on Kyansittar Road, employs over 900 workers.

There is no trade union at the workplace, and only a Workplace Coordinating Committee (WCC) has been established.

The factory manufacture wedding dresses such as DAVIDS BRIDAL, DB Studio, Melissa Sweet, and JULES CLEO.

“Male workers are forced to carry firewood for the factory’s boiler. Each sack of firewood weighs at least 10 to 15 Pitha (1 Pitha = 1.63kg). Every time a new delivery arrives; workers have to unload and transport it to the designated area. Sometimes, they even have to do this immediately after meals, causing stomach pain. They still have to meet their daily production targets, which are not reduced to compensate for the extra workload after carrying firewood. Other factories usually hire outside workers to do this, but our factory forces us to do it to cut costs. This should not be allowed according to our EC contracts, but the management ignores that.

“In addition, workers in the cutting and ironing departments are frequently dismissed under various pretexts. Bonuses in these departments depend on production targets. A significant amount of clothing was damaged at the factory last month. My bonus was over 100,000 MMK, but the Chinese supervisor in charge of the department said that too many bonuses were being paid and reduced mine to just over 60,000 MMK when we signed our salary slips.

“This is not the first time. I used to receive 70,000 to 80,000 MMK in previous months, but recently, they have been cutting a large portion of our bonuses. It has been happening for about three months now. A worker only receive around 40,000 MMK, with the rest deducted if they are entitled to 100,000 MMK. They claim that salary calculations were incorrect, but the deductions only happen after workers have signed the slips,” said a factory worker.

The factory’s standard working hours are from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, but overtime is regularly extended until 7:30 PM. Workers are required to work overnight shifts and even on Sundays and public holidays when production is urgent.

“We have to sign a warning letter if we refuse to work overtime. We must request leave in person Even if we have health issues or family emergencies. Leave is not granted the other wise, and, we must sign a warning letter if we are absent without approval. No matter the situation, workers are forced to sign these letters. Additionally, workers can be dismissed without any valid reason—if management dislikes someone, they are fired. Although there are Myanmar managers, the Chinese supervisors directly oversee production lines, shouting and giving orders,” said another worker.

Due to these labor rights violations, workers have sought assistance from the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).

Workers are demanding:

That leave requests, whether submitted in person or through others, be granted fairly without requiring workers to sign warning letters for absences.
That foreign supervisors not be given direct authority over workers.
That unfair deductions from bonus payments be reversed and that bonuses be paid in full.
That factory workers not be forced to carry firewood for the boiler, and that external laborers be hired for this task.
That overtime be voluntary, and workers not be forced to sign warning letters for refusing overtime shifts.