"All super[visors]s from H&M brand manufacturing [supplier] TONG YING HK (Garment) factory are acting like a dictator.", 23 October 2023

According to the labours, the supervisors at the TONG YING HK (Garment) factory, where the H&M brand [has clothes] manufactured, are acting in a dictatorial manner, to the point of firing their [workers] over their rights...

Not allowed leaves

A worker in TONG YING HK (Garment) said that even though they take leave for health issues, they are being considered absent.

"I was sick, so I asked....the super[visor] for leave by phone. In addition, I [told] colleges [at] the factory. But [my leave is counted as an] shown as [an] Absence by the supervisor..." said a labour who was labeled as absent...

The labourers added that if they complain about...leave, they [are] told that they must report to the [supervisors], so they have notified both of them about the leave but they have not received the leave yet.

"[If we take leave] they say don't come [from tomorrow], if we asked to leave from the workplace due to serious ill conditions. So, the sick person has to work until faint. Even if I asked for permission to leave because I was really sick, they labeled me A(Absent)...They also said at the meeting that no will be allowed to take leave,” he said...

Discriminations of the TONG YING HK Garment all supers

labourers at the factory say... discrimination still exists.

“[The supervisor's] little sister took...leave for a week for sick[ness]. They are giving leave to those who are confident with them...they give [leave] to whoever they want...

How much it suffers to be labeled as absent although report for leave

Garment workers at TONG YING HK say that they will no longer receive the clothing bonus given for working for a whole month, attendance bonus and annuity if [leave is] labeled [as absence].

"If A is labeled, all rights will be lost... we won’t get at least 50,000 for that month. They labeled me A for taking a leave due to my family obituary. The salary that month was only 230,000 MMK. Regular labours earned about 360,000 MMK....you can [see] how much the wages differ from missing just a day," the labour told Myanmar Labour News.

Annuity is not a bonus, but a seniority leave

A senior labour at the TONG YING HK Garment Factory explained that the [factory] cut 48,000 MMK [for absence] lthough [the worker] report[ed]10 days of seniority leave.

"That 48,000 MMK is paid for seniority leave. As soon as A was exposed, the 48,000 was no longer available..." she continued...

TONG YING HK garment workers cut wages without permission, which is the right of workers, and such cuts are clearly illegal.

The tyrant super[visor] fired a labourer for missing two days of work

Factory workers at TONG YING HK Garment factory say that the [supervisor] does not allow them to take...leave, and if they do not come to work for two days for any reason, they were...fired.

"...I was lucky enough to get a day for leave but when I ask [for] leave for another day as I am not fully recovered, they said not to come back, resign and reappl[y],” said a labour who encountered it...

As the factory officials accept everything that the super[visors] say...labours’ rights are being violated more...The labourers also said that there is average 2 to 3 labouerrs who are fired every month because of absence from work...

The labourers also said that the [supervisors] at the factory are doing whatever they want [to workers] but [the workers cannot] say anything...due to threats of dismissal.

WCC members are elected

At TONG YING HK (Garment) factory, despite the formation of WCC, the labourers said that they did not get any effective solutions. In addition to this, they did not know who the member was, and during the election, they chose according to the instructions of a security member.

"WCC is formed [in the factory's] favor. It can't help us effectively. During the election, a security guy [was] guiding us [on] who to vote [for]," said a worker who voted.

The labours told Myanmar Labour News that TONG YING HK(Garment) [is locate[d] in Myaung Takar (Pha Ye Khin) Industrial Zone, Mawbe Township, Yangon district and [has] been manufacturing [for] the H&M brand for several years with a workforce of around 5,000 labourers.