"KBL Garment Forced to Work Overtime Until 11 PM", 19 October 2024

Workers at the KBL Garment bridal gown factory in Industrial Zone 1, Kyansittha Road, Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon Region, are facing hardships due to forced work until 11 PM.

There is no labor union at the factory. The factory...employs more than 900 workers, who make bridal gowns for brands such as DAVIDS BRIDAL, Studio, Melissa Sweet, and JULES CLEO.

The factory's regular working hours are from 8 am to 4:30 pm, but overtime is from 4:30 pm to 9 and 11 pm, the workers said.

"In the past, when I complained about being called in until 11pm, I was asked to work less overtime. Now, I'm being asked to work more overtime. Since it's until 11pm, those who want to sleep in the factory can sleep, and those who want to go back can go back on their own [accord]. There is no accommodation for workers who sleep in the factory. They have to sleep comfortably next to the machine benches," the worker said.

Regarding this overtime call, there is no notice...to inform workers that they are [going to] work overtime. Those who are called in at 11pm are asked to sign a consent form at the time they are supposed to work, which is causing difficulties.

"If workers say they don't want to work overtime, the factory managers will pressure them to work overtime...In fact, all workers don't want to work overtime until 11 pm. They all want to work the regular 2 hours of overtime because 8 hours of work is not enough to feed their families. They need to work 10 hours a day, including 2 hours of overtime. Knowing that, they pressured them to cut 2 hours of overtime if they don't work until 11 pm," the worker said...

In addition, there is no [transport] service after overtime, so they have to go back on their own [accord]. Due to security concerns...they have to sleep while they are at work, which causes health problems such as mosquito bites and lack of sleep.

"...if they have any health problems, [they] cannot get treatment outside except through social security. Social security benefits are only given to those who want to pay," said a female garment worker, explaining the difficulties.

Another difficulty is that they are released at 4:30 pm on paydays...which is causing difficulties.

"The workers who were told to leave at 4:30 [were told they] can return if they want...They want to pay off their debts on the day they get paid, and transfer money to their homes for the whole month. Now, there are almost no holidays, and overtime is until 11 pm. Even though it is 11 pm now, people cannot sleep because of mosquito bites in the factory. If they say [speak up], they are threatened in various ways. Even though there is a labor coordination committee in the factory, they cannot say anything about workers' rights. They only ask for a signature...for overtime. They have not helped the workers at all." The worker said.

...the relevant departments come to inspect [the factory], but the employer knows in advance and teaches them to lie before the inspection, so there are no violations.

"If the labor office comes to inspect and tells the employer the truth, the worker will be fired. The relevant labor offices cannot be trusted during this period. They cannot protect the workers. That is why we have to express the difficulties of our workers without giving their names," the worker said.

The workers' demands are:

1. Overtime should not be done until 9 pm and 11 pm. If it is done, it should be done with the permission of the relevant departments and only workers...and [transport] should be arranged for them to go home.

[Translation via Google Translate]