Myanmar: Workers at Wonderful Apparel garment factory report multiple labour rights abuses
Summary
Date Reported: 25 Jan 2024
Location: Myanmar
Companies
Wonderful Apparel - Supplier , New Yorker - Buyer , Kiabi - Reported buyer , Pimkie (part of Association Familiale Mulliez) - Reported buyer , TROLLKIDS - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: 450
Workers: ( 450 - Location unknown , Clothing & textile , Gender not reported )Issues
Child labour , Dismissal , Excessive production targets , Mandatory overtime , Occupational Health & Safety , Violence , Gender Discrimination , Harassment (other than sexual) , Wage Theft , Denial of leaveResponse
Response sought: Yes, by BHRRC
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Wonderful Apparel allegedly supplies to or has supplied to KIABI, Pimkie, TROLLKIDS and New Yorker; New Yorker and TROLLKIDS did not provide a response to a request for comment from the Resource Centre. KIABI and Pimkie have previously informed us that they do not source from the factory.
Source type: News outlet
"Wounderful Apparel Co, Ltd. Workers' rights are being grossly violated in the garment factory", 25 January 2024
The workers said that there are violations of labor rights at the...Wonderful Apparel Co., Ltd garment factory...
Operating with more than 450 workers...ENSURED...[clothes] are being sewn and exported...
He said that there is no labor union organized in order to carry out labor negotiations in the workplace, and there is no labor negotiation committee.
The worker said that there is an excessive demand for [targets] in the workplace...If [targets are] not met, the supervisors...are said to be swearing and speaking rudely.
"If they don't get the [targets]they ask for, they are not only rude, but they also do physical abuse...
He said that...he is not entitled to any type of leave during that work period, and if he is given medical leave by social security for more than 2 days, he will be illegally dismissed from his job, and he will go to the relevant labor office to file a complaint, but he will be fired without any settlement.
"Legal leave is still a long way away. If you apply for an emergency leave due to an emergency about to come to work, it will not be granted. If you miss that day, you will be deducted 4,800 days' pay and 20,000 regular days," said the worker.
The worker said that the daily working hours are 8:00 am to 6:30 pm, and on Saturdays until 4:00 pm, in addition to working through the night and working overtime until 4:00 am, the worker said that it was difficult because there was no advance notice for overtime.
"On Saturdays, I have to go down all night long. If I return after 4:00 in the morning, I pay 1,000 travel expenses...from my own pocket. It's not safe for female factory workers to return. [They] should arrange a ferry...They said that they would give me an alternative day off without paying for the day I was off late at night. If I refused to go off, I would be fired. [they] threatened to cut [my] pay," said the worker...
The worker said that many young workers under the age of 18 are being forced to work in the workplace, and they are asking for the same clothing [target] as adult workers...and... put pressure on them.
[The workers] call for overtime from the employer, they should be informed in advance and only with the consent of the workers, to [pay] the wages if they work overtime...,to arrange a ferry for the workers who work overtime all night...or to increase the travel expenses, to settle the compensation with 4,800 kyats if the child laborers quit, to settle the settlement with only 4,800 Kyats of day compensation, to prevent the [manager] physically assaulting...workers in the workplace, and to not swear at or physically assault the workers.
[Translation via Google Translate]