"BONTECH MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD. Garment Factory Workers Are Being Exploited", 15 August 2024

Workers at the...BONTECH MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD garment factory located at Pattamiar Road, Natural Landmark, Sadukan Industrial Zone, Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Yangon Region, say they are being exploited.

"The daily wage is 7,800 kyats, but the overtime is only 1,500 kyats. The actual overtime is 1,950 kyats per hour...If you work overtime on Sundays, they only pay 6,800 kyats, and they don't pay double overtime. They even reduce the daily wage. If you miss one day of leave, you lose 7,800 kyats, your regular wage is 15,000 kyats, and your gross wage is 5,000 kyats. If you miss two days, you lose 30,000 kyats of your regular wage, and you don't get any other leave except for medical leave," the worker said.

The factory employs nearly (1,000) workers and manufactures DELTAPLUS products, and the working hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., including 3 hours of overtime...

During working hours, workers are usually forced to work overtime, and... they are forced to work under pressure without asking for their consent.

On government holidays and Sundays, they are not paid double the overtime pay, but only 12,000 kyats. They also force female workers to work the same as male workers, working until 7:30 p.m.

Some workers are forced to work overtime, but if they are more than 5 minutes late to the factory in the morning, they are fined 1,000 kyats once, and if they are late for more than (5) minutes three times, they are fined (15,000 kyats) from their regular pay, and they are humiliated by having their names written on a whiteboard in a public place.

"People who work all night and come back before the morning shift don't get enough sleep...They are being made to suffer, let alone thanked, and they are being humiliated," the worker said.

They also demand more than the workers can produce, and if they can't meet the standards, the managers on the production line shout at them and pressure them to do so.

"I don't know what the rules are in the EC contract for employment at the factory...Only those with at least (6) months of experience and (1) year of experience can sign an EC contract. They don't know what the rules are, and they cut money in various ways. The money they cut is not [given to] the workers..." the worker said.

"There are more than 5 workers who have been working at the factory for 6 months to 1 year and have been injured at work, so they are being given unpaid leave. The workers are coming to work with bandages because they are afraid they will not get paid. The factory does not take any responsibility, it is just pressuring and exploiting them," the worker said.

Due to [so] many violations of rights, the workers [demands] are:

1. Not writing on the whiteboard [the names of] those who come in 5 minutes late for work. Not paying them the right amount, not writing on the whiteboard.
2. Giving pregnant women lighter work and allowing those who do not want to work overtime to return.
3. There are no toilets in the dining hall and drinking water area, which can affect their health in the long run. Therefore, we need to take measures to ensure that they are healthy.
4. Not cutting the salary of unskilled workers if they are injured and allowing them to take medical leave until they recover.
5. To demand only [targets] that workers can [meet] and to take action against leaders who make slanderous statements.
6. To work with the consent of workers if overtime is called, and not to pressure those who do not work overtime.
7. To calculate double the overtime pay if they have to work overtime on public holidays and government holidays, and to recalculate the overtime pay for overtime that was paid only as a day rate with a bonus.
8. To calculate the overtime pay as a day rate of 7,800 kyats, and the overtime pay as an hour rate of 1,950 kyats.
9. To arrange for sufficient ferry cars.

[Translation via Google Translate]