"Workers demand resolution of labor law violations", 27 September 2024

Workers at Ten Da Garment Factory are demanding a resolution to labor law violations, including firing workers who do not work overtime, demanding excessive [targets], and taking photos of female workers without permission.

The factory is located at No. 4, Wetmasup Wansat Road, Hlaing Tharyar East, Yangon Region, and employs more than 500 workers.

The factory...manufactures shirts and pants [for] brands such as LCW VISION, SANIA CATALINA, MO WOMAN, Defacto, CLOSSHI, mwr, RESERVED, and...has no labor union.

"First of all, the workers have to put the products in the dining hall, which is designed for workers to eat [so there] are not enough seats. In addition, out of a total of 13 toilets for workers, only 2 are open. In addition, the 2 toilets have no doors, no water, and are not clean. The roof is still leaking. The toilet door only covers the face and the bottom is visible. It is not comfortable for female workers," said the female worker.

In addition, in the workplace...experts take photos of young and beautiful female workers without asking permission, and those who do not agree...[are] threaten[ed] [and told the factory will] prevent them from working in other factories. The employer has demanded a solution.

The working hours of the garment factory are from 8 am to 7:30 pm (11 hours without lunch break), and they work until 8:30 pm, and on Saturdays, instead of only half a day, they have to leave at 6:30 pm...

"If workers come to work 5 minutes late, their regular allowance [is] deducted. If they take 2 days off work with the legal leave, their allowance is deducted. They also deduct one month's allowance...If they miss even one day in a month, they have nothing left," said a worker from the factory...

...workers are required to work not only at their own production lines but also at various departments and locations as needed. If they do not go to work at the place requested by the employer, they are warned...

In the process of setting the [targets]...f the requested quantity is not met, the supervisors shout and curse...

The employer claims that the fabric order is important and forces the workers to work overtime...they also have to work overtime on Sundays, he said.

"There are also day laborers in the workplace, and if they don't work OTs, they are fired by the employer. Those who report such behavior are pressured to quit their jobs and given a one-time salary," said a male worker.

When the daily working hours are completed and the workers go home without working overtime, the employer fires the workers who don't work overtime without giving any reason, and if they have worked for less than 3 months, they are told that they cannot work overtime...The workers who call the labor offices to complain about the fact that they are being forced to work overtime are also being pressured by the employer to quit their jobs.

"The factory has a suggestion box, but when workers put their suggestions in, no one opens them...the employer says they don't have time to read them...The factory has been open for more than 2 years and has 500 workers, but they haven't formed a WCC," the worker said...

[Translation via Google Translate]