Shimamura's response to allegations of abuses in Myanmar garment factories - February 2024 update
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The articles mentioned in the January 16, 2024 e-mail were incidents that occurred in June 2022 and January 2023. Our supplier was told that there had been overtime work in the past at "SUNRISE (MYANMAR) FASHION CO.,LTD." Our supplier visited "SUNRISE (MYANMAR) FASHION CO.,LTD" in August 2023 and confirmed that this matter had already confirmed that it has been improved.
In addition, "SUNRISE (MYANMAR) FASHION CO.,LTD." is currently conducting a study session on labor laws for factory managers.
(Ltd. has received "Shimamura Supplier CoC Compliance Declaration" from all suppliers it does business with, and will continue to comply with laws and regulations.
This concludes our investigation report.
We have investigated "Honor Apparel" and "SHENG MEI GARMENT COMPANY LIMITED" and will respond to your inquiry. The factory "Sheng Mei factory" in the article was surveyed for "SHENG MEI GARMENT COMPANY LIMITED".
Honor Apparel was a factory that manufactured some of our products, and we placed orders with this factory through our suppliers in Japan. The factory closed its business on January 30, 2024, and we will provide our response based on the former factory manager's answer. Honor Apparel" has always conducted its business in accordance with the laws and labor regulations of the Myanmar government, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of its workers, and has reportedly operated without maliciously forcing overtime work or harming the rights of its employees.
SHENG MEI GARMENT COMPANY LIMITED is the factory where some of our products are manufactured. The article is about a case that occurred in November 2023. On November 27, 2023, the person in question filed a complaint with the Labor Bureau against the factory where he works. On December 1, 2023, through the mediation of the labor bureau, the worker and the factory reached an agreement regarding future attendance.
Subsequently, the employee resigned for his own reasons. The worker had been taking a lot of leave due to illness, and the manager conducted a hearing with the worker to check on his physical condition. We believe that this led to this complaint as the said employee took it as a denial of sick leave...
[Full response is attached]