By Hsu Latt Phyu - Aug 27, 2024

Workers from Hang Kei Myanmar garment factory which located at Mingyi Mahar Khaung Road, Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone, Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon region said that the factory is violating their rights.

The factory is owned by a Chinese national and manufacturing hunkemoller brand apparels with more than 1,000 workers.

It is learnt that the workers collectively demanded after the employer’s representatives from the WCC said disrespectful speech towards the workers during the meeting on August 24, 2024.

“The employer’s representatives from the WCC said disrespectful speech towards the workers during the meeting on August 24, 2024. After the disputes with the representatives, the workers gathered at the dinning room to collectively demand by stopping the work,” said a worker.

Regarding the incident, the employer threatened the workers with military instead of addressing the problem. Workers therefore, had to go back to workplace on August 25, 2024.

“They threat us with the military if something happen no matter what,” said a garment worker.

It is also learnt that the workers are not having access to legal leaves. “We don’t get legal casual leaves. They deny if we inform with phone. We are labeled as absent and verbally bullied in the next day. Workers don’t even dare to take a leave. We are cut 4,800 kyats daily wages, 2,000 kyats attendance bonus and 2,000 kyats subsidy for missing a day of work,” said a worker.

A production line with 40 people are asked more than 1,000 fabric output demands for 10 working hours and the supervisors are verbally abusing the workers to get the fabric output demands.

The working hours are from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm normally but workers have to work until 9:00 p.m. without being informed in advanced if the fabric orders are important.

“Worker have to work overtime if the employer said it is important. There is no medicine if we feel unwell while working. Its difficult for us,” said a female worker.

The workers’ demands are

1. The employer’s WCC representative to treat the workers’ WCC representative with respectively.

2. To ask only for fabric output demands that are in line with the workers’ productivity and workforce

3. To allow the workers legal leaves such as casual leaves

4. To survey the workers’ consents for overtime

5. To not threaten the workers with the military

6. The supervisors to not hold grudges, verbally abuse and pressurize the workers for the regarding incidents.