"J-Land Myanmar Factory Manager Scolds Workers for Not Working Overtime", 28 October 2024

The workers at the J-Land Myanmar factory were publicly scolded by their manager for not working overtime, according to the workers.

The line manager scolded the male and female factory workers who did not work on Sundays...

In addition to being scolded for not working overtime on Sundays, the factory manager also transferred them to different jobs.

The worker said that last month, they worked almost a month without a day off, and now in October, they are forced to work on a Sunday. The workers said that they are asked to sign in advance to report the overtime to the labor office, but they are forced to work beyond the specified time...

“...The factory does not allow them to take mobile phones. They cannot notify their families, and they are worried. Even when they ask for leave to go home because they are not feeling well...but the female manager refuses to allow them. They do not get leave just like that,” said one worker.

Except for health (social security) leave, they do not give any type of leave, and they only receive their seniority money after a year and a half...

The workers also said that the factory owner and foreign experts have instructed the manager not to take the WCC members seriously when they ask for help from the factory workers.

“The factory owner himself doesn’t recognize the WCC. He also said this. The manager is being rude...When they meet the manager face to face, it’s difficult for the WCC to solve any problems.”

Some workers said that there are around 100 underage day laborers in the factory, and they don’t get equal wages. A worker also said that when inspection teams come to the factory to inspect, these day laborers are asked to stop working in advance.

“The day laborers are as young as 12 years old, and some are as old as 17 years old. “Once there is an inspection, they are asked to stop work for 2 days in advance. Their daily wage is only 5,200. The OT pay is also calculated on that. The maximum daily wage for salaried workers is 7,500.”

The J-Land Myanmar factory...employs around 800 workers. The factory is located in the Wada Industrial Zone in Yangon and manufactures world-famous brand GUESS, according to records from the Myanmar Labour News in 2023.

[Translation via Google Translate]