Myanmar: Workers report forced overtime, denial of leave, and lack of worker representation
"LITA MYANMAR labor rights are violated", 26th August, 2024
In the LITA MYANMAR Garment Factory, which was opened in Shwe Pya Tham Myeon Industrial Zone 4, Yangon Region, violated the rights of the labor law and did not allow them to enjoy the benefits, not allowed to enjoy medical leave, workers are not allowed to choose the WCC labor representative.
A worker working at the factory said that they were forced to work full time without paying overtime on Saturdays...
...The business is owned by ... nationals and operates with more than 900 workers. BURTLE, CONVERSE SERVO, Brillage, samansa...
...There are 45 helpers and they are asking for 45 garments per hour, and the employer is unilaterally deciding on that rate...
..."At the iron department, if a worker can make 20 pieces of cloth in an hour without even drinking water, it is set for 23 pieces. In the fabric standard they ask for, there is no time for workers to drink water. It is set like robots... They are dying, why are they coming to work?...
...He said that even if he did not receive the rights under the labor law, such as casual leave and social security checks, even if he submitted documents for his social security, he would be considered as having no rights and would be subjected to cuts.
"Regarding the lack of leave, the labor office came to check and the workers left the police and said they could not get the leave. They have not been given the leave yet," the worker continued.
He said that although about 30 day laborers were hired, they had to work full time for 8 hours on the first day, but they were only paid the day allowance and not paid the overtime allowance.
In addition, in forming the WCC, three labor representatives were forced to sign a piece of paper on August 11 without knowing their identity.
"Actually, the workers' representatives must be elected by the workers," said the worker.
There is no organized labor union. The unsatisfied worker said that since the workplace coordination committee was formed by the employer's choice, they were unable to resolve labor disputes and were not able to represent the workers.
"The daily wage is only for the machine lines, if they miss a day for a whole month, they pay 30,000. The other lines are not paid at all. There is no professional fee. There is only the basic salary and overtime, so the people are not stable. In the meantime, if they miss a day, they still have to pay a fine. Now, the control is taken by other factories, and those factories are asking the workers to come in for inspection. On August 8th, a representative from the Brand side called one worker from each department to inspect, and the worker was paid for the day. When a Japanese buyer told me that they couldn't get sick leave, the man said, "Won't you pay me a day's pay for missing a day? I even went back to the factory and asked them in front of the office people, and it was uncomfortable," the worker said.
If the brand comes to check, the workers have been trained in advance. The workers said they threatened to fire them if they told the truth.
The workers have asked for changes in the workplace. Those are
- Casual leave, which is the employee's right to enjoy from the employer's side, to allow medical leave.
- The employer should pay all the different departments the same rate.
- In choosing the WCC, the workers themselves should choose a representative who truly represents the workers themselves.
- On the employer's side, the day laborers are required to work up to 8 hours on Saturdays, and to pay overtime for those who are forced to work more than 4 hours.
- The workers said that workers who have been placed on self-sufficiency medical leave should be recalculated.