"Myanmar Huasheng Golden Garment Factory Forced to Work All Night in June"

Workers at Myanmar Huasheng Golden Fashion in Anawrahta Industrial Zone, Hlaing Tharyar Township, Yangon, said they were forced to work all night and every day for the entire month of June.

“We had to work all night every day. We had to work until 7:30 every day. That was even on Saturday. We had to work until 12:00 at night,” they said.

Every time we had to work all night, the officials forced us to sleep in the dark, as if we were in the factory. The workers said that the factory’s working hours were from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. They also said that they had to work continuously from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day.

“We finished work at 12:00 p.m., and when the lights were turned off, we slept in the dark. We had to take the ferry back at 5:00 a.m. "I have to go home and work until the end of the work day. I have to go to the meeting 20 minutes early and not even have breakfast. After lunch, I have to sew continuously until the end of the work day. The factory does not give me any breaks or food. If I don’t have any, I have to eat when I get home,” said a factory worker.

The factory demands full production hours and has to work late at night, which causes workers to lose sleep and sometimes miss work.

“I feel dizzy at work because of the low sleep schedule. They give me the [target] so I have to sew nonstop. I have no problem working until 6 pm. I am given leave. But if I miss work, I get paid for the day, and if I miss two days, I get paid for the day. If I miss a day, my salary is significantly reduced,” said a worker.

A worker said that the Myanmar Huasheng Golden Garment Factory was inspected by the Township Labor Office, but was not allowed to answer freely.

“The factory was hit by a bomb and the workers were called out with a loudspeaker. They were questioned in the manager’s office. How can I answer? The jobs are still there. All the factory staff are there. How dare they tell the truth?” he said.

The workers also said that the factory knew in advance that the city labor office was coming to inspect and had trained the workers to lie.

The Myanmar Huasheng Golden Garment Factory has 15 machine lines and more than 1,000 workers sewing shirts, pants and dresses. The factory ... does not have a union or WCC, factory workers told Myanmar Labour News.

[Translation via Google Translate]