Myanmar: Garment workers at Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory factory state management is committing violations & not resolving workplace issues
Summary
Date Reported: 14 Sep 2023
Location: Myanmar
Companies
Pimkie (part of Association Familiale Mulliez) - Buyer , Auchan - Buyer , Carrefour - Former buyer , Primark (part of Associated British Foods) - Former buyer , Lidl - Former buyer , Tendam - Buyer , Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion - SupplierAffected
Total individuals affected: 700
Workers: ( 700 - Location unknown , Clothing & textile , Gender not reported )Issues
Dismissal , Excessive production targets , Intimidation , SurveillanceResponse
Response sought: Yes, by BHRRC
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion allegedly supplies or has supplied to Primark, Auchan, Carrefour, Lidl and Pimkie; Primark, Pimkie and Lidl provided a response to an invite to comment from the Resource Centre. Primark stated it has completed its exit process in October 2023 and no longer sources from Myanmar. Carrefour and Lidl previously informed the Resource Centre that they no longer source from the factory. In September 2024, Tendam did not provide a response to an invite to comment from the Resource Centre.
Source type: News outlet
"Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion garment factory does not solve workplace problems", 14 September 2023
Labours at the Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion Garment Factory say that the factory is committing labour rights violations without resolving [the] workplace issues. The factory is located in U Htun Nyo Street, Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone 2, Yangon.
According to the labourers, the issues occurring [include:] forcing...fired labours to write that they resigned [by choice] and if [they do] not [they] intimidate [workers using] the[ir] wages, forcing C and D grade labourers to meet the A and B standards...supervisors using to [explicit language] to [workers] while asking for [targets to be met], [and] not resolving the...workplace issues [despite them being] reported.
More than 700 labourers are employed [at the factory]....The factory is... manufacturing [for] PRIMARK, esmara and Inextenso brands. “26 of us have to work to [meet the targets] that 33 of us used to [have] in the past...
Even though the grades are divided into A, B, C, and D according to the skill level, they force those with low skill fees to [meet] big [targets].
It is reported that if there [are] any work-related problem[s]...there is no trade union formed to solve it, and there is no solution even when they go to inform the currently formed work coordination committee WCC.
In the demand for [targets to be met by] individual labourers, they yell at the workers especially the Line 12 Super[visor] and Line 5 Super[visor]....
"They made the labourers...yell at each other [to meet the targets]...Asking for [targets to be met] is [the supervisor's] job, and the workers should not be doing this,” said a labour.
...[Workers are]...are not allowed to use the[ir] phone[s] during working hours...and the labours who quit are prohibited from saying that they quit because of heavy workload, the ferry is not on time, [the factory] monitor[s] the [workers who sneak out for] break time and forc[e] them to sign [a] warning...