Myanmar: Garment workers at backpack factory protest demanding wage increase announced by Military Council
"MYANMAR BAG factory refuses to increase its allowance by 1,000 kyats", 15 September 2024
The Ministry of the Military Council has issued a letter ...to increase [workers'] allowance by 1,000 kyats since September, but the MYANMAR BAG backpack factory [workers] has attempted to protest because the 1,000 kyats increase has not been granted.
The workers at the MYANMAR BAG backpack factory, located at No. 1, Depayin Wandaung U Myat Road, Hlaing Tharyar Township Industrial Zone 1, are demanding a 1,000 kyats increase in their allowance.
The factory...operates with more than 1,000 workers. There is no labor union at the factory.
The minimum wage set by law is 4,800 kyats, and the military council announced a 1,000 kyat increase in the allowance for government and private employees in 2023, and now it has announced another 1,000 kyats in August 2024, so the workers will receive 2,000 kyats.
The workers said that the factory did not pay the allowance, so they went to work in the evening on September 2 because the employer refused to increase it...
"The labor office said that they would negotiate with the employer on Thursday (September 5). In fact, the elders did not immediately solve the problem and threatened to take action against the workers. The workers have the right to freely protest. As the leaders said, let's just file a letter. There is no union. We don't know where to file a letter or who will allow it. We cannot even educate the workers and protest without submitting a letter...," the worker said...
They were not entitled to any legal benefits in the workplace, and if they missed a day without taking a leave, they [lose] a day's pay of 5,800 kyats, a one-thousand-kyat allowance, a daily wage of 20,000 kyats, and a skill fee.
In addition, when requesting a [target]. they were asked to sew more than 100 bags per hour on a machine line with 50 people, and if the [target] was not met, the supervisor would verbally abuse them.
The workers demanded that the above violations of rights and labor disputes be resolved. The demands are:
- The employer should allow the workers to enjoy the holidays they are entitled to.
- The employer should not curse the supervisors.
- The employer should not ask for more than the worker's ability to sew when requesting a standard.
- The employer should provide the workers with a one-thousand-kyat allowance.
[Translation via Google Translate]