Myo Thein
Mar 12, 2026
Workers say supervisors at Zhong Ying Co., Ltd garment factory follow workers onto factory transport vehicles to force them to work overtime. They also said a worker was dismissed for refusing to work overtime.
“I was already on the bus. The packing supervisor shouted, then called us back to work overtime. They said, ‘It’s urgent, you don’t need to go home.’ I didn’t go back because I hadn’t yet informed my family. A worker from the QC department explained that they couldn’t work overtime, but management did not accept the explanation and said, ‘You don’t need to come to work tomorrow,’” a worker said.
Workers said the dismissed worker had worked overtime throughout the previous week but was fired for refusing to work overtime on that single day.
Workers also said the factory does not inform them in advance about overtime work and forces them to work overnight whenever production is not completed.
“They don’t inform us in advance about overtime. They make us work all night if the garments are not finished. The next day we still have to return to work as usual. Our health becomes poor because we don’t get enough sleep. But we can’t refuse,” workers said.
Workers said that those who refuse overtime are told they are not suitable to continue working and are dismissed under the pretext that orders are low. They said workers are not informed in advance about the dismissal and are told to return at the end of the month to collect their wages.
Workers also said the wages promised during recruitment differ from the wages they actually receive.
“The salary they tell us during the interview is one thing, but the amount paid at the end of the month is different. We have to work the entire month without missing a day. We earn just over 400,000 kyat even with overtime. We don’t even know how the salary is calculated. Sometimes they add the piece-rate bonus, sometimes they don’t,” workers said.
Workers said factory manager Daw San San Win told them the monthly skill bonus they had worked for through overtime would not be paid.
“They said they could not pay even one kyat of the skill bonus, saying that orders were delayed because of us,” workers said.
Workers added that if the production targets demanded by the factory are not met, line leaders warn that workers will not receive any piece-rate bonuses.
Workers also said many underage children aged 12, 13, and 14 are employed at the factory and are required to perform the same work as adult workers but are paid lower wages.
“They make them do the same work, but the children only receive a daily wage of 7,800 kyat. The children also have to work overnight and are not allowed to rest the next morning, they must continue working. The children develop dark circles under their eyes as they have to work continuously, become thin, and fall ill,” workers said.
Workers also said there is no clinic inside the workplace. They sometimes request medicine as they work overtime and do not get enough sleep but are unable to receive it.
They also reported that casual leave and sick leave are not granted, and that daily wages, attendance bonuses, and other benefits are deducted.
Workers further said that when factory transport vehicles collided with each other and workers were injured, the factory ignored the injured workers and did not inquire about the incident.
Zhong Ying Co., Ltd consists of three factory buildings and employs more than 300 workers. The Chinese-owned garment factory is located on Bogyoke Road, Industrial Zone 2, Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon, and produces garments for the Cool Club brand, according to workers.
Photo – Child workers inside Zhong Ying Co., Ltd factory
