Myanmar: Garment workers who asked for wage increase demoted
အကျဉ်းချုပ်
Date Reported: 9 Sep 2023
Location: Myanmar
Companies
Erdos Myanmar - Supplier , Marks & Spencer - Reported buyerAffected
Total individuals affected: 6
Workers: ( 6 - Location unknown , Clothing & textile , Gender not reported )Issues
Fair & Equal WagesResponse
Response sought: Yes, by BHRRC
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Erdos Myanmar allegedly supplies Marks & Spencer; Marks & Spencer provided a response to a request for comment from the Resource Centre, stating it has been inactive in Myanmar since April 2023, and therefore cannot comment on the allegations.
Source type: News outlet
"The workers who demanded a salary increase were transferred to [other] work departmentps] of the Erdos Garment Factory", 9 September 2023
"The factory called me to go back to work, so I went down. When we got to work...one of the five of us was moved to the position of a helper on the machine line. The rest were transferred to other departments..."This is done [after] asking for an increase in wages," said Ma Cho (not her real name), a female worker who was transferred.
On...pay day, the 6 women workers...asked to meet with the super[visors], [but they were] treated rudely by the woman in charge of the factory...
These women said that on September 5th, the factory calculated their salary at 4,800 kyats, so they filed a complaint with the Hlaing Tharay Labor Office to receive 5,600 kyats.
The labor office made an appointment at 1:00 p.m. on September 7 to resolve the issue, [and said] the 6 women workers will be refunded 5,600 kyats, and the factory's HR manager called [them] to return to work, he said.
On the day [they] returned to work, all 6 women were transferred [from] their workplaces, and one of them was a line super[visor who] was transferred to a department clerk.
"...When I entered the workplace, I was forced to change jobs [to a] lower position...When I was hired...Ma Cho continued.
Shee said that all the women who were transferred were employed at a professional level and received a fixed wage...
The Erdos Myanmar factory is a factory [where workers have] been forced to work overtime until 12:00 midnight every day for several months, and despite complaints, the Ministry of Labor has not inspected the factory at all.
The transfer of departments within the factory must be in accordance with the EC contract, and the department cannot be moved without the consent of the workers, said Ma Aye, who is working to assist workers...
The women workers who were transferred said that since they were appointed as skilled workers, the transfer[s] [were]...done on purpose, and there were psychological and physical damages.
"...When I had to change, I felt like I was making fun of people looking at me. Ma Cho said...
Myanmar Labor News has learned that the factory is located on Yeo Secretary U Po Hlaing Road, Shwe Lin Van Industrial Zone, Hlaing Tharay Township, Yangon...
[Translation via Google Translate]