"Instead of a Saturday holiday, workers are having a hard time because OT fees are being cut again", 5 January 2024

At the BEST CHOICE Myanmar Garment Factory...workers said that they are having a hard time because [overtime wages]...are being taken back...due to lack of orders.

According to the labor law, if the factory closes for reasons on the part of the factory, the day fee for that day must be paid at the minimum wage rate....the worker said that in addition to not paying the day off allowance for the day off, 4 hours a day on Saturdays and 16 hours per month were cut back from the OT allowances...

"... the drinking water is not clean. There is no water purifier, the toilets are not clean, and the dining room is okay," said the worker...

The labor activist commented that the employer's decision to close the factory and cut back the OT fees without giving workers compensation is a violation of the labor law.

"If it's true that the employer closes on Saturday on his own terms, he has to pay the employee a day fee. They don't pay the employee a day fee. If the 4-hour shift is cut off on other days, this should not happen...In other words, if the worker works overtime, he has to pay the OT fee. This is a violation of the law..." said a labor affairs observer.

In the workplace, the...clothing [target] is much higher than the amount that workers can sew, and even if they take social security leave, they are faced with cuts in wages, lack of clean drinking water, and lack of clean toilets.

He went on to say that there is no solution for labor rights violations like the above and it is difficult to file a complaint.

"I don't know who to talk to. I'm afraid I'll lose my job. When the old men came [from] the army, they had to release 2 people per line...They told me to lie that the drinking water was clean and the toilets were clean.

The supers and the people below the managers don't dare to tell the truth," he said...

The factory...has more than 300 workers and is said to be sewing brand name clothes such as...Vaile Bleue.

[Translation via Google Translate]