"Overtime and abuse in the workplace", 31 July 2023

At the Kham Sam garment factory in Thadhukan Machinery Zone, the workers are being called to work overtime without a rest day.

"At the factory, overtime is called from 7 months to 9:00 p.m...the line supervisors force them to work hard. At the sister factory, after the lunch period from 11:30 to 12:00, workers have to work continuously from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. They don't have a break, and they don't even have time to eat snacks." said a worker.

...the worker said that ... they have to work overtime on Sundays, a public holiday.

"... There are some people who have to work until dawn. On the day they have to work, workers are released at 6:00 p.m. and they have to go back to work at 8:00 p.m. They go to work from 11:30 p.m. to 12:00 p.m. They have to work until 5:00 a.m. Some say they have to work until 3:00 p.m. the next day because they don't finish the garment. If they can't work, they threaten to fire them if they lose their bonuses," said the struggling worker.

Working overtime due to orders at the factory is understandable, but when working overtime without a long-term break, the worker said, there is physical and psychological damage, as well as social disruptions.

"When you work without enough rest time, your health is affected, both mentally and physically."

On Sundays, I was forced to work overtime....

A garment worker said, "The supervisors physically hit lower-level employees on the head, hit them with things... They also immediately fired those who reported the news."

The factory is owned by a Chinese national and employs around 1,500 workers,..

[Translation via Google Translate]