"Star Sandar Garment Factory Says It Doesn't Give Workers Leave and Discriminates Against Day Workers", 11 October 2024

The factory workers say that the Star Sandar Garment Factory...doesn't give workers the[ir] legal benefits and discriminates against day workers when it comes to hiring and approving them.

The factory is located on Shwe Kyar Street, Sin Ngu Ward, Insein Township, and employs over 800 workers.

The factory also employs over 20 day workers, who are sewing jackets.

"They don't get medical leave or casual leave. They don't give them leave when they're sick. They don't even give them leave to care for their parents. If they can't get better because they can't work, they'll fire them for being absent without leave. They don't even give them leave. The workers' salary includes a daily allowance of 7,200, The daily wage (30,000 kyats) and the skill wage are also cut proportionally. So if you miss a day of work, you get (40,000 kyats) cut,” said a factory worker.

The factory also has weak workplace safety measures, and there are unclean drinking water, dirty water taps, and dirty toilets.

The employer also chooses...[which] day laborers who have completed three months of service at the factory [to hire], and it is not done according to the law.

“If the employer likes [a worker[, they hire [them as] permanent employees. If they don’t like [them], they keep them on day labor. The next employer also asks for...unfair...[targets]...The fabric to be sewn is jacket fabric...and it is difficult. So it is difficult to meet the [targets]. "The superintendents also shout at the workers when they ask for a [target]," said a worker.

The factory workers are demanding that they receive legal benefits, that they demand a [target] that allows workers to sew...that they appoint daily wage workers who have completed three months of service as approved employees and not to appoint them separately, that the superintendents also stop shouting at the workers when they ask for a standard, and that they provide proper toilets and drinking water for the workers.

[Translation via Google Translate]