"Cherry Apparel (Myanmar) Garment Factory Forced to Work 6 Hours Over the Law",12 November 2023

Cherry Apparel (Myanmar) factory workers said they were forced to work 6 hours straight without a break. The workers told Myanmar Labor News that they are forced to work continuously from 12:30 after lunch until 6:30 at night without any breaks...

The normal working hours of Cherry Apparel (Myanmar) garment factory are 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. However, the factory workers said that because they have to work overtime for 2 hours every day, they usually [finish] work at 6:30 in the evening...

Section 63 of the 1951 Workshops Act, which is currently in force in Myanmar, stipulates that workers may not work for more than five hours at a time. The workers of Cherry Apparel (Myanmar) unanimously said that even though they have illnesses, it is difficult to go to the hospital.

"I can't go to the hospital. The clinic costs about ten and a half thousand per visit. The fare is about 3,000 even for a round-trip taxi, so they didn't go..." the workers said.

Although Section 63 of the Workshops Act states that employees must take at least a half-hour break between working hours, the workers at the Cherry Apparel (Myanmar) factory say that they do not get the full hour during their lunch break.

"Meal time is from 12:00 to 12:30. I don't want to give even this rest time to the factory... HR and managers have been forced to shout [at workers]. Because of that, the workers have to go back to work without a full break. In fact, I've been working for 10 hours a day, so I'm tired..." the workers said...

In addition, workers at the Cherry Apparel (Myanmar) Garment Factory said that the drinking water inside the factory is salty water, making it uncomfortable for the workers.

"...The workers bought bottled water because they couldn't drink it...but you can't bring the water bottle near you at all. They are not allowed to take any items...into the workplace..." said a Cherry Apparel (Myanmar) worker...

The workers said that there is no WCC set up in the Cherry Apparel (Myanmar) factory and there is no emergency clinic.

"...Now that I have to work as a QC, I have to stand all day. As women, we need medicine. I can't take that either..." A female garment worker said...

Cherry Apparel (Myanmar) Co., Ltd garment factory was opened with foreign investment and it has only been around 6 months since the factory reopened.

Currently, FieldCore denim fabric is being sewn, and the factory is located in Yangon, Hlaing Tharay Township, Workers told Myanmar Labor News that they are operating in Anawrahta Industrial Zone.

The factory is owned by Chinese people and nearly 800 factory workers are working [there]...

[Translation via Google Translate]