YANGON- The employees from seven factories yesterday morning staged a protest in front of Maha Bandula Park, near Yangon City Hall, calling for enactment of law to protect the rights of workers held in front of Maha Bandula Park, near Yangon City Hall.
The protesters also requested the authorities to settle ongoing disputes between employers and employees as well as difficulties in the work site.
“Workers gathered at the protest and they demanded the labour rights representing the labour mass in Myanmar. Amongst the protestors, there are employees from seven factories including Garment and Shoe factories in Dagon Seikkan, Hlaingthayar and Shwepyitha Townships in Yangon Region,” said Thet Htar Swe, Chairperson of Pu Ywin Labour Union.
The labour protesters marched to Maha Bandula Park, displayed and chanted the slogans “ Enactment of law to protect the rights of workers”, “ To settle labour disputes” and “To form a workers Union”.
‘The labour law has some very weak points. The labour department, the labour ministers and the Director-General from the Regional Labour Department effectively didn’t solve the labour problems as well as not taking action against the employers in accordance with the law. It is clearly that a violation of the laws that they had seemingly ascribed to,” said Thet Htar Swe.
Since August 21st morning, 200 workers from Pu Ywin garment factory staged a protest in front of the garment factory as 30 members from the workers’ union were fired without any credible reasons. No negotiations for unfair dismissal of 30 members of labour leagues could be made till the protest matured to its 55th day, according to the Thet Htar Swe.
On October 7th, the political activists who supported the Pu Ywin Labour protest and other members of Labour leagues urged the government to settle the Pu Ywin labour protest. March protest started at Maha Bandoola Park, Yangon Region and protest workers marched to Sintoretan Street, Lamadaw Township.
Moreover, workers from Great Well Shoe Factory in Shwelinban Industrial Zone, Yangon Region held a protest over unpaid three months salaries in front of the factory on October 1st morning.
Although government set up at the minimum daily wages Ks 4,800, there were no other rights for the labours. So, there have been disputes between employers and employees, Zaw Aye Maung, Arakan Ethnic Affairs and labour Minister of the Yangon Region Government Committee replied the queries raised by the media on October 5th.
In Myanmar, government had set at the minimum daily wage Ks 3,600 in 2015. But workers from some factories have held protests over unpaid minimum daily wages .
National Committee for Setting Minimum Wage issued a notification dated May 14, saying that it has updated the daily minimum wage at Ks 4,800 for an eight-hour work day, with the approval of the Union government.
However, some factories which increased the minimum daily wage retracted other allowances which prompted the workers to held protests over their rights.
