By Ma Ma - Mar 05, 2025
Workers from YUAN HONG GARMENT Co., LTD, a factory owned by Chinese nationals, report that they are being forced to work without any days off for an entire month to meet production demands for two separate factories in Yangon and Pathein.
This factory is located in Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, at the compound of U Tun Nyo’s residence. It is operating with a workforce of approximately 1,000 workers.
There is no official trade union within the workplace, and rights violations are taking place. The factory is producing garments for brands such as CLOSSHI, JP, Lugnoncure, and BLACK NUMBER.
One worker explained, "Our working hours are from 7:30 AM to 7 PM. Our wages include a daily allowance and support fees, totaling 8,500 MMK. Overtime pay is 1,700 MMK, and the attendance bonus is 30,000 MMK. The factory does not provide any days off for the entire month. We are required to work all four Sundays if there are four Sundays in a month. The manager shows them the overtime records as if workers voluntarily agreed to it when labor officials come to inspect, even though we are forced to sign them. We are also made to work for two factories. The branch factory is in Pathein, and the garments from there are transported daily by truck to be sewn here. We are forced to work on every Sunday. Workers who refuse to do overtime are pressured and treated unfairly by the employer."
Workers are given excessive production targets. Each production line is required to produce up to 70 garments per hour. Supervisors and assistant supervisors scold them if they fail to meet the target. The HR manager, Chinese supervisors, and factory directors treat workers differently, even though all workers have the same working hours and production targets according to the workers.
Skilled workers in sewing lines receive a maximum salary of 130,000 MMK. However, workers in the ironing department receive 90,000 MMK, while the parking department receives 70,000 MMK, and the QC department only gets 60,000 MMK. Sewing machine operators in the Cutting department receive between 50,000 MMK and 90,000 MMK, with clear wage discrimination among departments.
"The HR manager and HR clerks walk around all day monitoring the production floor. They scold they see us talking. They shout like 'Why are you talking back to HR?' if we complain and punish us with warning letters. Those who speak up are dismissed unlawfully. Chinese factory managers and supervisors force us to work unlawfully. We are made to work without days off, forced to do excessive overtime, and pressured to meet unrealistic production targets. The factory managers, HR officers, Chinese supervisors, and line supervisors watch us like prisoners. Even though WCC committees exist, they do nothing to solve the problems workers face. There are supposed to be three WCC representatives, but since one resigned, we were not allowed to elect a new representative. The remaining two do not understand labor laws, so we want them to step down and allow new representatives to be chosen," a worker explained.
The factory has a clinic, but there is a lack of medicine. Workers report that the nurse discriminates against workers, only providing medicine to those she favors.
The factory’s transportation is inadequate, and female workers are forced to ride in overcrowded vehicles. Although workers reported the issue to management, no action has been taken.
The factory also has narrow emergency exits, making evacuation difficult for over a thousand workers in case of an emergency. Pregnant workers requested permission to leave work ten minutes early for their safety, but their request was denied.
A worker explained, "There are many temporary workers in the factory. They hire many temporary workers to sew garments for the Pathein factory when there is a high workload. They fire them when the workload decreases. They are not given permanent contracts even after completing their probation period. They are dismissed unlawfully. We are treated like prisoners when moving between production areas, forced to move on a strict schedule. There is even a person timing us in the restroom. Our phones and wallets are confiscated, and in case of an emergency, our families cannot reach us. They also denied urgent leave assessments. We are fined 2,500 MMK per hour, and attendance bonus is also deducted if we take leave. Workers who take leave are treated unfairly by the assistant supervisors."
Currently, workers have reached out to the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) for assistance in resolving workplace violations.
Workers are demanding that production targets be set at achievable levels and that supervisors stop verbally abusing and pressuring them, temporary workers to be given fair contracts rather than being hired and fired at will, give Sundays off instead of being forced to work overtime every weekend, demand an end to arbitrary dismissals and unfair punishments, proper transportation arrangements, provide sufficient medical supplies in the clinic, the right to keep their personal belongings such as phones and wallets, and management to take responsibility if items go missing.
