After the military coup in February 2021, there have been more violations of labour rights in Myanmar, especially in the garment sector...According to the latest data released by the International Labour Organization (ILO), as of the first half of 2022, there are a total of 19.3 million domestic workers, and the number of workers in the garment sector alone is around 500,000 to 600,000...

The Wei Ye Myanmar Garment factory at the top of Kanaung Road in Yangon is a Chinese-owned factory. This factory is a branch of the Weihua Myanmar Garment Factory and was opened in April 2022, according to the workers who used to work at the factory. Wei Ye Garment Factory is mainly handled by the wife of the owner of Wei Hua Myanmar Garment Factory, and the workers call her "Ke Kee". Mapai (name changed) started working in May 2022 shortly after the opening of the Wei Ye factory. Mapai said that since he started working in this job, he has experienced various violations of labour rights. Although the factory employs around 300 workers, the employer does not sign an employment contract and does not provide social security.

All-night overtime calls are often made, and workers' families are not allowed to bring dinner...Sometimes, if there is a power outage during the night shift, the workers are only paid half of the overtime pay...It has been reported that if there is no work due to power outages on the intervening days, management will not turn on the generator and instead will forced workers to work on Sundays without paying the overtime fee...

After February 2021, the rule of law has declined and there is a weak security situation in the country. In suburban townships where there are many basic workers...robberies often occur. In this situation, the workers said that it is very dangerous to send the factory workers, who are mostly women, back without giving them a night ferry. If you don't work such overtime, you will be downgraded and your salary will be reduced...

People who used to work in the Wei Ye factory, which has a population of around 300 people, said that even the toilets were not adequately arranged and there was only 1 male toilet and 2 female toilets. There are people who wait for a long time to go to the toilet and are asked to use the toilet, and if they fill up the toilet 3 times, they are fired...Sometimes I don't even have to go to the toilet for the whole day," said Ma Pai (name changed)...

...Unable to tolerate these labour rights violations, in September 2022, 11 workers from Wei Ye' factory, including Ma Pai (name changed), signed a complaint to the Labor Law Inspection Department of Shwe Pytha Township Workshop through the United Union Federation of Myanmar (STUM)...

(Translation va Google Translate)