"Myanmar Jiale Fashion Employer Withholds Garment Wages", 31 October 2024

The owner of Myanmar Jiale Fashion Co., Ltd...has withheld (per-card) garment wages and has not set a specific date for the return of the money, the workers said.

“Not long after the coup, [the factory] began deducting 10,000 kyats from their per-card wages...Then, if they received 100,000 kyats a month, they would deduct 50 percent. Gradually, workers received only 40 percent. It has been 3 years since they have been withholding wages. The workers want their money back.”

The workers said that the employer had asked them to sign a document on September 28th to return the outstanding per-card wages, as the employer had been withholding wages for more than 3 years. However, the workers who are about to leave are not allowed to withdraw their one-card allowance through a transfer letter, and they do not say exactly when they will be able to withdraw it...

The factory is also giving out one-card allowance to workers who are comfortable with [supervisors] and others.

Myanmar Jiale Fashion Co..Ltd Garment Factory is located in Chindwin Road, Shwe Than Lwin Industrial Zone, Hlaing Tharyar Township, Yangon, and operates with more than 500 workers. It...produces AMISU brand clothes.

The workers said that a... woman directly manages the factory and curses them if they do not [meet] the required [target] of clothing.

“The workers are being unfairly asked to [meet targets] that they cannot [reach], and the super[visors] on the production line are shouting and cursing...,” said a female worker.

Myanmar Jiale Fashion workers receive only 7,000 kyats in support, 1,700 kyats in overtime...and no other benefits. In addition, they are not entitled to the leave provided [under] the Labor Law, and if they miss work, they are paid around 40,000 kyats in compensation, including a card fee, the workers said.