Myanmar: Garment workers face difficulties withdrawing wages following payment system change
အကျဉ်းချုပ်
Date Reported: 20 Dec 2023
Location: Myanmar
Companies
Auchan - Buyer , Carrefour - Former buyer , Primark (part of Associated British Foods) - Former buyer , Lidl - Former buyer , Tendam - Buyer , Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion - SupplierAffected
Total individuals affected: 700
Workers: ( 700 - Location unknown , Clothing & textile , Gender not reported )Issues
Occupational Health & Safety , Wage Theft , Denial of leave , Surveillance , Excessive production targetsResponse
Response sought: Yes, by BHRRC
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion allegedly supplies or has supplied to Primark, Auchan, Carrefour, Lidl, Pimkie and Tendam; Auchan provided a response to an invite to comment from the Resource Centre. Tendam did not respond. Primark has previously stated it has completed its exit process and no longer sources from Myanmar. Carrefour and Lidl previously informed the Resource Centre that they no longer source from the factory.
Source type: News outlet
"In Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion garment factory, workers' salary is changed to bank card system, so it is difficult to withdraw salary.", 20 December 2023
...At the Myanmar Guotai Huasheng Glory Fashion Garment Factory...the workers said that because the payment of workers' wages was changed to a bank card system, the workers are facing difficulties in withdrawing their wages.
The workers said that the salary was paid in cash before, but since November, it has been added to the bank card, which was set unilaterally without asking the consent of the workers.
The worker said that he faced difficulties in [receiving] his salary with the bank card system...
In addition, it is said that some workers were forced to go back to their home countries to re-register in order to add their salaries to the bank card system, and that there are workers who had to leave their jobs due to difficulties such as road conditions and security conditions...
"As for the workers who were forced to re-register, they were not [given] casual leave and seniority leave...The money was cut off for the worker who had to pay for the registration. It is not convenient. This unilateral decision is very painful for our workers, and the money cannot be paid in full," said the worker.
In addition, Inextenso asked for a record hourly rate of up to 40, which is more than the workers can handle in the workplace. The worker said that over 700 workers are sewing branded clothes such as CORTEFIEL.
"... it's hard to meet the [targets] they ask for. [Workers] don't drink water [or] go to the toilet during work hours...when they ask for [targets] the Super[visors], ecream and shout every day from the top of the line," the worker said.
He said that workers are discriminated against in the workplace, and managers and security personnel search for workers' belongings after meals and when they go to the toilet.
"When there is no one to go to the toilet after a meal, the manager and the security check every morning. [They have] security checks at the entrance of the factory...The super[visors] also treated the workers who were members of the union...with malice...," the worker said ...
[Translation via Google Translate]