"Workers Forced to Work Overtime Without Their Consent", 17 August 2024

The DONGLONG (Pathein) Garment Factory in Ward No. 13, Pathein, Ayeyarwady Region, is forcing workers to work overtime without their consent, and workers are not receiving their legal rights, according to workers.

"On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, [workers] are called to work overtime until 9pm. If you don't sign the OT form, you are told off. You are given a 30-minute break from 6pm to 6:30pm. From 6:30pm to 9pm, you are paid 1,450 kyats per hour, and you are given a meal allowance of 1,000 kyats, making a total of 4,625 kyats. You can [return home] on your own. The average taxi fare is around 6,000 kyats. The [factory transport] only runs until 6pm...There have been cases of people who have worked OT until 9pm and have been robbed and killed on their way home this year. The factory has covered up these cases so that they don't leak out," said the worker, who did not want to be named.

They also call overtime on Sundays, which is a public holiday...If you refuse to work overtime, your regular pay is deducted.

"If you take sick leave, you are told not to take it... If you do not take sick leave, you are told not to come to work because you are not feeling well, even if you ask [to leave the factory], you are not allowed to do so. You are scolded by the Leader/Super[visors]...Some Super[visors]/Leaders do not even call you by your name...Some workers are beaten on the head, thighs, and backs by the Leader/Supervisors]. If the [target is not met], they deduct it from your salary...they [also] take your phone away, [and] do not even give you rest time...The female security guards are always shouting," said a worker at the factory.

The factory is owned by Chinese nationals and employs over 2,000 people, producing Muji, Golf, and SEM/R brands. It is reported that the KUMUDRA (Pathein) Garment Factory has opened a new branch in the vicinity.

[Translation via Google Translate]