Myanmar: Garment workers demand an end to mandatory overtime overnight
"Request to stop overtime and night work", 20 August 2024
The BOY Garment CO.LTD, located on Khray Pin Road, Shwe Lin Baan Industrial Zone, Western District, Yangon Region, [and] has...working hour[s] of [between] 8 am to 7:30 pm, including 3 hours of overtime, and has been continuously calling for overtime all night without consulting the workers. The workers have demanded that no overtime be called for.
The factory, which employs around 300 workers, does not have a union or a WCC to resolve labor disputes.
The factory has only been open for 3 months and is said to be producing PREMIER brand jackets...
"On the first day, they have to work from 8 am to 7:30 pm like other days, but working all night is inconvenient for the workers. When they are called to work overtime, they are not asked for their consent...," the worker said.
He said that the daily wage is 5,800 kyats, the allowance is 1,200 kyats, and overtime is paid at 1,400 kyats per hour.
"...According to the current daily wage, I only [get paid] 1,400 kyats per hour instead of 1,450 kyats. If I miss a day of work, I [lose] 7,000 kyats and 40,000 kyats of[f] [my] regular wages. I only [receive] 5,800 kyats for weekends," the worker said.
Although there is a medical clinic at the workplace, they want [the factory] to appoint a doctor or nurse, he said.
In the past few days, there was a riot in the factory, and two workers were fired.
Workers are facing difficulties because they are forced to work overtime, and if they miss work, they are not paid full overtime pay, and they are cut off.
They want the following demands to be addressed to improve the workplace.
The demands are:
- Set the daily wage at 7,000 kyats (not to be divided)
- Calculate the overtime pay on the basis of the daily wage of 7,000 kyats...
- The regular pay of 40,000 kyats should be divided into 15 days if there are days of absence from work.
- A doctor should be appointed in the factory.
- Workers should not be dismissed from work without valid reasons.
- Overtime should be agreed upon by the workers and only those who can work should be called.
[Translation via Google Translate]