Myanmar: Garment workers at Honor Apparel call for full compensation for factory closure
Summary
Date Reported: 11 Jan 2022
Location: Myanmar
Companies
OVS SpA - Former buyer , Honor Apparel Garment - Supplier , Kiabi - Former buyer , Bestseller - Reported buyer , LPP Spółka Akcyjna - Buyer , C&A - Former buyer , HK Works London - Buyer , LC Waikiki - Buyer , ONLY (part of Bestseller) - Reported buyer , Sinsay (part of LPP S.A.) - Buyer , KappAhl - Former buyer , House (part of LPP S.A) - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: 400
Workers: ( 400 - Location unknown , Clothing & textile , Gender not reported )Issues
Wage TheftResponse
Response sought: Yes, by BHRRC
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Honor Apparel allegedly supplies or has supplied to C&A, Kiabi, KappAhl, LPP S.A., OVS S.p.A, BESTSELLER, LC Waikiki and HK Works London. OVS S.p.A, LPP S.A, C&A, KappAhl and Kiabi provided a response to a request to comment from the Resource Centre. LC Waikiki and HK Works London did not. Kiabi has stated it no longer sourced from the factory from April 2022. C&A has stated it no longer sources from Myanmar. KappAhl stated its last order with the factory was placed in 2020. BESTSELLER has stated it does not source from the factory
Source type: News outlet
“Chinese garment workers receive more than three months' compensation”, 11 January 2022
A worker at Honor Apparel…told RFA on January 8 that it had paid compensation for more than three months after the factory shut down for more than six months.
The factory worker said the compensation was paid to more than 400 factory workers and that they were not fully paid for the time off.
"The factory was closed for six and a half months. Compensation was said to be more than three months' basic salary. In total, it was 4,680,000. Normally, the salary was around 300,000 a month."
The factory was shut down on March 14 last year after the military coup. It was one of 24 Chinese-owned factories that caught fire on the 15th and 16th.
During the factory closure, workers were forced to work in other factories on a daily basis to earn a living.
Workers say the Honor Apparel garment factory and the Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (IWFM) have agreed to [pay] compensation, which is less than what was due.
Another worker at the plant said he should be compensated for the more than six months it was closed…