By Hsu Latt Phyu - Aug 20, 2024

Workers from BOY Garment CO.LTD which locates at Khayay Pin Road, Alal Village, Shwe Lin Ban Industrial, Western District, Yangon Region said that the working hours in the factory are 8:00 am to 7:30 p.m. with an addition of 3 hours of overtime per day. They said they want to request not to call overtime without their consents after being called all night overtimes contionusly.

There is neither trade union nor workplace coordination committee in the factory operating with around 300 workers. 

The factory open just more than 3 months and it is manufacturing PREMIER brand jackets and owned by a Chinese national. 

The workers are called overtime until 9:00 p.m. – 00:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m. and have to come back to work at 8:00 a.m. in the next morning.

“We have to work from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays. It is not convenient for us to work all night overtime. The factory never ask our consents. Sometimes they select who to work overtime and sometime they call the whole factory,” the worker said.

The workers are given 5,800 kyats daily wages and 1,200 kyats subsidy and 1,400 kyats per hour for overtime.

“The daily wage should be 7,000 kyats. They made different categories as they don’t want to raise the overtime fees. The overtime fee should be 1,450 kyats per hour but they are paying only 1,400 kyats. We are cut 7,000 kyats daily wage and 40,000 kyats attendance bonus for missing work a day. And we are only given 5,800 kyats for Sunday day off,” the worker explained.

Workers are also hoping for hiring a doctor or nurse in the factory’s dispensary. A supernatural event occurred in the factory recently and 2 workers were dismissed for that. 

Workers are having difficulties due to mandatory overtimes and not having access to take paid leave.

Their requests regarding the resolvents of the violations are –

1. To pay 7,000 kyats daily wages (To not classify into other categories)

2. To pay overtime fee calculating upon 7,000 kyats daily wages

(a) Overtime fee should be 1,450 kyats when the daily wage was given 5,800 kyats. To pay the missing wages with back date.

(b). Workers only get paid 5,800 kyats on Sundays instead of 7,000 kyats. To pay the missing wages with back date.

3. To cut the attendance bonus only if they absent on both half of the month

4. To hire a doctor in the factory

5. To not dismiss the worker without a valid reason

6. To survey the consents of workers for overtime and to call only those who could