Myanmar: Garment workers report labour rights violations at factory incl. mandatory & unpaid overtime
Summary
Date Reported: 25 Feb 2024
Location: Myanmar
Companies
Honeys Holdings - Former buyer , Kiabi - Former buyer , Handa (Yangon) Myanmar - Supplier , Lidl - Former buyer , Next - Former buyer , New Wave Group - Buyer , Clique (part of New Wave Group) - Buyer , Craft (part of New Wave Group) - Buyer , United Athle - Buyer , Burtle - Buyer , Mizuno - Buyer , Active Brands - Reported buyerAffected
Total individuals affected: 3000
Workers: ( 3000 - Location unknown , Clothing & textile , Gender not reported )Issues
Mandatory overtime , Occupational Health & SafetyResponse
Response sought: Yes, by BHRRC
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Handa (Yangon) allegedly supplies to or has supplied to Lidl, Mizuno, Active Brands, KIABI, New Wave Group, Honeys, Burtle, United Athle and Next; Lidl, Active Brands, New Wave Group, Honeys, United Athle and KIABI provided a response to a request for comment from the Resource Centre. Active Brands stated it sources from another Handa Factory (number 1). Honeys stated it has not done business with the factory since May 2020. KIABI said its last orders at the factory were in October 2023. LIDL said it stopped sourcing from the factory several years ago. Mizuno and Burtle did not respond. Next has previously stated it had ceased operations with the factory in September 2022.
Source type: News outlet
"Workers at the Handa Garment Factory are having their labor rights violated", 25 February 2024
...Workers reported that workers' rights are being violated at the Handa Garment Factory...
The factory sews (BURTLE) brand shirts...with around 3,000 workers...
Although the WCC has been formed, the workers' workplace problem [continue]...
"...They only called overtime until 8:00 p.m., asking for [targets] that the workers could not [meet]. The workers who did not meet the [target] were given overtime on Sundays without overtime [pay], and the workers who did not work overtime were often humiliated in front of the public...
The worker said that...when [someone] came for [an] inspection, the pregnant women were often hidden.
...the drinking water is dusty/smelly and not clean...since the toilet water is no longer provided, the workers are saying that the factory knows that the toilet is dirty and unclean in the evening with odors and does not do anything about it.
...the factory side is asking the workers to meet [targets] that cannot be met, and they even have to limit the time to go to the toilet/drinking water.
It is said that [supervisor] is...yelling at the workers and forcing them to pressurize them even more.
"The supervisors threaten...force them to work without overtime without paying overtime..." the workers confided.
At present, they are working overtime on the day of Thingyan holiday, and they are calling for overtime even on Saturday (6:00)...
[Translation via Google Translate]