"BOHUA FASHION Garment Factory Forced to Work Overtime", 5 August 2024

BOHUA FASHION Garment Factory, located on Ban Maw Secretary Road, Shwe Lin Van Industrial Zone, Hlaing Tharyar Township, Yangon Region, has fired workers who refused to work overtime and cut their wages, forcing them to work overtime until 9 p.m. every day, causing health problems for workers.

The...factory employs more than 250 workers and produces jackets under brands such as minoti, RESERVED, and CALLIOPE. There is no labor union at the factory.

The workers say that the [workers are] forced to work from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., which [causes] long-term health problems.

"...I have to work all night every day," the worker said.

Overtime every day has caused health problems, and if someone is sick in the workplace, they are not allowed to leave... If they miss a day, they are deducted 4,800 kyats, 1,000 kyats in allowance, 10,000 kyats in regular pay, a total of 15,800 kyats.

"Every Saturday, they have to work all night. On days when they have to work until 9:30 p.m., there is no market when they go home. There are many days when they don't eat because the electricity goes out. If they don't work overtime, they are fired, and they are given a [wage deduction]...On days when they work all night, they don't feed them properly, so they don't want to lose." The worker said.

The workers say that many day laborers are employed in the factory, and that they are not approved for employment for nearly a year, so they [don't receive] holiday entitlements... In addition, underage workers are being forced to work on an equal basis with adult workers.

"They are not entitled to leave or medical leave. If they miss a day of leave due to illness, their regular wages and allowances are cut. There is no clinic or medicine in the factory. They are not allowed to eat because the space is cramped," the worker said.

Although workplace violations are often reported, violations are not corrected. Even when inspectors come, they are trained in advance and asked to answer questions, so violations continue to occur, which is causing difficulties, the workers said.

"Even the security guards watch and talk to women when they go out, and in the morning, they are rude to every worker they meet," the worker said.

The workers are losing the benefits they deserve in this workplace, The workers are demanding that the following issues be addressed due to the violation of their rights.

The workers' demands are:

1. The employer should allow workers to enjoy their right to casual leave and medical leave.
2. The employer should approve and appoint workers who have completed 3 months of service.
3. The employer should not call workers [for] overtime and ask the workers for their consent if they call them on overtime.
4. The employer should not employ underage workers on an equal basis with adult workers.
5. When the labor office comes to inspect the workplace, the inspectors should enter the workplace and question the workers instead of questioning the workers called by the employer.
6. They said they want the workplace to have a clinic, repair the toilets, and repair the dining hall.

[Translation via Google Translate]