Myanmar: Garment workers file lawsuit over factory transfer
အကျဉ်းချုပ်
Date Reported: 20 May 2024
Location: Myanmar
Companies
New Yorker - Buyer , Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) - Former buyer , Saung Oo Shwe Nay (Golden Sunshine) - SupplierAffected
Total individuals affected: 1800
Workers: ( 1800 - Location unknown , Clothing & textile , Gender not reported )Issues
DismissalResponse
Response sought: Yes, by BHRRC
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Saung Ooo Shwe Nay (Golden Sunshine) allegedly supplies to H&M and New Yorker; H&M provided a response to a request for comment from the Resource Centre stating it does not source from the factory. New Yorker did not respond.
Source type: News outlet
"Saung Oo Shwe Nay Garment Factory workers were issued a letter to sue their employer, and Al Nay was taken back.", 20 May 2024
...The workers said that after the Labor Department issued a letter to sue the owner of the Saung Oo Shwe Nay (Seong Oo Shwe Nay garment) factory on 3rd Middle Street for violating the EC contract, it was taken back.
"On May 14th, the Al Nay (West) office official issued a letter to the workers to file a legal lawsuit against the violation of the EC contract complained by the workers and asked the workers to read it. The workers read the letter and felt comfortable. The official himself stamped and signed...
"They told the workers to wait for a while, and after about 15 minutes, they didn't give the letter to sue the employer," said one of the workers who participated...
The violation of the employment contract (EC) at the Hlaing Thayar (West) Al Nay office was negotiated 3 times between the workers and the employer of Son U Shwe Nae garment factory A.
Factory A [is] where the [workers are being] transferred without the[ir] consent...the workers said that changing the workshop and adding more people is a violation of the contract. There are more than 300 employees of Song Oo Shwene who are working at Factory A, and these workers want to continue working, and the workers have demanded that they be released from their jobs if the workshop is not reopened...
...the labor office officials repeatedly threatened that if they did not work, they would not receive the salary for the period under negotiation...
The case was examined by an arbitrator, and the employer's representative said that the interim wage must be paid, but the arbitration decision did not decide the issue of the interim wage.
Son U Shwe Nae garment factory is owned by Chinese nationals and employs about 1,800 workers. SMOG The workers also said that H&M orders were transferred to other branches because of problems with night workers at the Son U Shwe Nae factory, which sews labels such as H&M and DIVIDED.
[Translation via Google Translate]