"YUHUA garment factory workers say ticket fees need to be transparent", 12 November 2023

Workers from the YUHUA Garment Factory at Na Wa Day Road, Industrial Zone 3, Hlaing Thar Yar Township told Myanmar Labor News that the factory pays with the ticket fees, but there is no transparency.

"There is no mention of how much the factory pays for the garment. The workers also do not know how much the sewing fee is for which fabric. We just have to take as much as they give. [Those who are] comfortable with the supervisor get a lot. So...we want them to clarify how much...they pay for [clothing]," said one of the workers.

The workers said that the factory now offsets the daily wage of 4,800 MMK and pays the extra fabric with the ticket fee, but overtime is paid by the hour.

The workers said that there are four super[visors] and a [head] super[visor] at the YUHUA garment factory and among them, some super[visors] are cutting of the wages of the factory workers...

The factory workers say that there are abusive words [used] while appointing the tasks...

The workers said that the [head supervisor] in the factory was swear[ing] the garment workers instead [of] showing them how to sew the garments properly.

"At the factory, she was the only one who was rude. She do[es] not guide us properly when she appoints us to sew the c[lothing]...She swears instead...," she said.

Workers told Myanmar Labor News that YUHUA factory's working hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but they have to arrive at 7:45 p.m.

"The super[visor]s asked the workers to come to a meeting that starts 15 minutes before starting work. If [you] don't come before the meeting, you would be sworn[at] in front of others. The victims are embarrassed as they are scolded [while] standing in front of the whole factory office. Some even bawl." The workers said.

The workers said that they wanted the meeting to be set as working hours because it is a discussion about the plans to be worked on for the day.

"The workers understand that the meeting is important. But scolded for being late sometime. The meeting is not set as working hours. It is exploited from personal time. 15 minutes a day means half and hour a week and six hours a month. By just assuming 1,200 MMK overtime pay, we’re losing 7,200 MMK," a worker explained to Myanmar Labor News.

The workers said that the YUHUA factory supervisors accepted the wage changes according to the changed wages by the Ministry of Labor without consulting the workers.

"...They accepted it without consultation saying that it would not be less than the current wage...Other factories are paying the same 5,600 as before. We want the same 5,600. As the factory pays with ticket system, we suffer in [overtime pay]. It may [be] acceptable if they pay two times the ticket fees in the overtime," explained a worker.

The workers said that underage child laborers are also hired in the factory, and these child laborers have to work the same as others.

"There are many 14, 15 years olds in the factory. They have to work the same hours as factory workers. Even though they do the same thing, they only get paid 5,000 MMK a day. They are also working tolerating the scolds and slanders. They also need to be paid the same wages,” she said.

YUHUA Garment Factory formed a Work Conciliation Committee (WCC) a few days ago, but the workers said that it was not elected by the them, but selected by the factory.

The workers said that YUHUA garment factory is owned by a Chinese national, and manufacturing Japanese brand sweaters with around 300 workers.