Worker rights

Unions are welcome, and could help garment factories improve their corporate social responsibility functions, a leading manufacturer has said. U Aung Myo Hein, central executive committee member of Myanmar Garment Manufacturers’ Association, told The Myanmar Times that many factories in Myanmar had missed out on ...

Some Vietnamese companies have confirmed they are willing to offer monthly pay of $2,000 to new university graduates. Le Quang Tien, former vice president of FPT, the Vietnamese largest information technology group, conducted a mini survey on salaries for new graduates after a debate about the ...

Three additional labour attachés will be assigned to Myanmar’s embassy in Thailand next year, the labour minister announced on December 18. More labour officers are being assigned in order to handle the high volume of cases stemming from the large number of Myanmar migrants working there, ...

Lao authorities expect to begin a new round of verifying nationality and legalising the status of thousands of Lao workers in Thailand in the coming months, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare said last week. Dr Khampheng Saysompheng told local media during his attendance to ...

The Ministry of Labour met with unions on December 16 to gather input on a universal minimum wage law currently being drafted, union representatives and ministry officials confirmed on December 18. “The meeting is a forum for each party to review the draft and provide comments ...

Myanmar police have presented six demands to their Thai counterparts, calling for a crackdown on corrupt and abusive Thai officials who prey on Myanmar workers in Thailand. The Myanmar officials accused Thai officials of demanding money from the Myanmar workers and illegally confiscating their documents. The ...

A New report on the state of the garment industry from Progressive Voice found that last year’s minimum wage law is causing negative workplace impacts for a majority of labourers and, for many, is still not resulting in a living wage.​​ The report, released on ...

Union officials have applauded the Ministry of Labor which is preparing to ratify some International Labor Organization’s conventions, including two that unions, factory workers and domestic workers have long demanded. The Labor Ministry said on November 30 that to promote and protect the rights, benefits and ...

An International Labour Organization official on Sunday urged local unions to present their views on the contentious Trade Union Law to the body’s Committee of Experts, a request that has so far found little traction. The ILO’s Committee of Experts will meet in Geneva, Switzerland, ...

More than 2000 factory workers staged a protest this weekend in Yangon’s Hlaing Tharyar township, demanding that the government increase the daily minimum wage in light of rising costs of living and inflation. “Unless something is done to stop increases to living expenses, soon workers ...