An activist for labor said that 7 Burmese garment and union workers would be charged with incitement by a military court after they advocated for pay increases at a factory supplied to Inditex, owner of Spanish retail chain Zara.
The case has put a spotlight on the plight of workers in Myanmar’s troubled garment sector. Since the military coup of February 20, 2021 and the subsequent worsening in conditions for workers, several companies have left the country.
Inditex is reported to be set to manufacture A phased withdrawal After the June arrests of five garment workers, two union leaders and one other worker. These workers worked in a Chinese factory run by Hosheng Yangon Clothing Company Limited. The workers formed a union for bargaining better conditions in April.
A union activist, who declined to name himself for reasons of safety, informed RFA that seven people are being detained at the Hlawga Police Station in Shwepyithar Township.
The seven were told to remain in detention pending a trial on incitement, even though a hearing was scheduled for Friday. If convicted, they face up to two years in prison under section 505 (a) of Myanmar’s penal code.
“Before setting up the trade union, the working conditions had many rules – no complaints, forced overtime, very low salary,” the activist said. “The factory doesn’t like the trade union, so that’s why the seven trade union members were dismissed.”
The activist stated that the trial for the seven would be behind closed door at a military tribunal in Shwepyithar Township, Yangon. The township has been placed under martial law.
Inditex has been contacted by RFA for comment.
The workers have no recourse against labor abuse
Nearly There are 500,000 people in the world. are employed in Myanmar’s garment sector, but labor activists say the military takeover has diminished regulatory oversight of factories. Workers say they have less power to bargain with employers, and no recourse if there is abuse. However, faced with Economic InstabilitySome people feel that they are forced to take any available job.
In the last two years, as Myanmar has sunk into civil conflict and international condemnation of the military junta has grown, Inditex and other European brands have decided to quit the Southeast Asian country, including Primark, C&A, and the UK-based Tesco PLC and Marks & Spencer.
The Multi-Stakeholder Alliance for Decent Employment in Myanmar (MADE) was funded by the European Union in December and retailers from around the world to improve accountability for the conditions in garment factories. This project builds on an earlier one. Approximately 380,000 garment jobs They are directly dependent on EU-trade.
The program has been called off by labor activists who claim that brands present in Myanmar have failed to protect workers in factories. Inditex is one of 37 brands that have been linked to labor abuses in Myanmar since the military coup. highest number of alleged abuse cases, followed by H&M and Bestseller.
One Rights Group found that freedom of association was “nearly non-existent” and that business-military collusion was found in 16% of cases. In Hosheng soldiers were registered telling workers Under military rule, there was no such thing as a union.
In April the Myanmar Labour Alliance, a 16-union coalition of unions in Myanmar, sent an email to EU leaders asking for the defunding of the program. The letter said MADE’s training of workplace coordination committees would undercut union efforts, and would allow the management to hold elections that would be a threat to existing unions.
‘We don’t have any legal mechanism’
According to the alliance, since the coup 53 unionists and activists have been murdered. 300 people were also arrested. Khaing Zar, president of Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar and a member of the Alliance, said to RFA that the brands were unable to monitor working conditions.
“What mechanism do we have?” she asked. “We don’t have any legal mechanism applicable.”
The EU, however, has also maintained a firm stance in regards to the program.
An EU spokesperson told RFA in a statement that funding for MADE provides ways for workers to file complaints about workplace conditions, “as well as facilitating dialogue between employers, workers and international stakeholders.”
While acknowledging the constraints on freedom of association, the spokesperson wrote: “Nonetheless, the EU and the Multi-stakeholder Alliance for Decent Employment in Myanmar (MADE) partners believe that the interests of workers are best served if EU companies continue to source from the country, as long as this is done responsibly.”
“When large international retailers exit, this will inevitably lead to a loss of jobs, regardless of how the retailer goes about this,” Jacob A. Clere, a team leader of the MADE project, told RFA. Jacob A. Clere, a team leader of the MADE project, told RFA that retailers were currently enrolled into MADE 2023. The first cohort will be finished this month.
“We estimate that between 130 and 170 facilities could collectively be covered by those who initially joined MADE in 2023.”