"S.H.UNITED Garment Factory Violates Labor Rights", 21 August 2024

Workers have alleged that S.H.UNITED COMPANY LIMITED, a garment factory located near Bogyoke Road in Hlaing Tharyar Township, Yangon Region, is violating labor rights and violating the right to form a union.

The factory...employs more than 1,200 workers. It produces COLIN’S brand jackets.

Regular working hours are from 8 am to 6:30 pm, and workers are not entitled to legal benefits at work.

“If I miss a day due to illness, I get a [reduction in] daily allowance of 5,800, a daily allowance of 1,000, and a regular salary of 40,000, and a professional salary proportionally deducted. Emergency leave...Social security medical leave is not given either,” the worker said...

The worker said that it is difficult to take sick leave due to pressure from the supervisor and the manager, which is causing suffering.

The factory demands excessive [targets], and a line with 50 workers is required to produce more than 40 jackets per hour...if the required [targets] are not met, they are forced to swear at them.

"The fabric standards are set unilaterally by the employer. They are forced to sew hard and do not drink water, and they are not allowed to go out...If they do not get what they want, they will...shout and swear at [workers]" the worker said.

Many day laborers are forced to work...if orders are high, day laborers are called up for more work, and if orders are low, they are fired, which is discriminatory.

The factory was previously a garment factory, but after it was closed, it reopened under a new name. If workers who were union members from the old factory applied, they would check their names and refuse to accept them.

"The old factory had a labor union, but the new factory doesn't. The old factory didn't accept union members when they applied for jobs...This is a clear violation of the right to freedom of association," the worker said.

The workers have demanded five points to resolve their workplace problems.

The workers' demands are:

1. The employer must stop violating the 2011 Freedom of Association Law.
2. The employer must stop shouting...and saying rude things.
3. The employer must call in day laborers when orders are high and not fire them when orders are low.
4. The employer should allow employees to take sick leave.
5. The employer should not call or speak to employees who are on sick leave.

[Translation via Google Translate]