Myanmar: Garment workers face verbal abuse if excessive production targets are not met
အကျဉ်းချုပ်
Date Reported: 9 Feb 2024
Location: Myanmar
Companies
Honeys Holdings - Former buyer , Kiabi - Former buyer , Mizuno - Buyer , Lidl - Former buyer , Burtle - Buyer , New Wave Group - Buyer , Craft (part of New Wave Group) - Buyer , Next - Former buyer , United Athle - Buyer , Clique (part of New Wave Group) - Buyer , Handa (Yangon) Myanmar - Supplier , Active Brands - Reported buyerAffected
Total individuals affected: 2500
Workers: ( 2500 - Location unknown , Clothing & textile , Gender not reported )Issues
Harassment (other than sexual) , Gender Discrimination , Violence , Excessive production targets , Surveillance , DismissalResponse
Response sought: Yes, by BHRRC
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Handa (Yangon) allegedly supplies to or has supplied to Lidl, Mizuno, Active Brands, KIABI, New Wave Group, Honeys, Burtle, United Athle and Next; Lidl, Active Brands, New Wave Group, Honeys, United Athle and KIABI provided a response to a request for comment from the Resource Centre. Active Brands stated it sources from another Handa Factory (number 1). Honeys stated it has not done business with the factory since May 2020. KIABI said its last orders at the factory were in October 2023. LIDL said it stopped sourcing from the factory several years ago. Mizuno and Burtle did not respond. Next has previously stated it had ceased operations with the factory in September 2022.
Source type: News outlet
"Handa Yangon garment factory requests too much fabric standard; Photographing the worker drinking water", 9 February 2024
Handa Yangon Garment...is operating with more than 2,500 workers.
Joma/CINEMA CLUB...CRAFT/KIABI/YONEX...shirts [are being sewn], and [the] paid rate is 4,800 kyats per hour, 1,200 kyats overtime, 1,000 kyats per day, and 10,000 kyats per shift...
...workers are being forced to [meet targets' that [are] much higher than what the workers can sew...
"...if we don't [meet] the requested [targets], the supers do things like yelling...Moreover...there are also physical violations," the worker said.
The workers also said that...if they take leave, their daily wages will be cut..
"It's pretty bad. Even if the worker gets up to drink water, the [supervisors] take pictures of them. They find no fault and fire them....The workers are miserable at work," said the worker.
[Translation via Google Translate]