Several workers who were sacked when Myanmar’s new minimum wage was enacted on 1 September are to file a lawsuit against their former employer, who has refused to reinstate them to their posts the Global New Light of Myanmar reported on 21 September.
The workers initially asked an arbitration office to settle the dispute with their former employer, the owner of the Asia Rose garment factory in Hlaingthaya Industrial Zone. The arbitration office ruled that seven of the 196 laid-off workers should return to their posts, while the rest should be compensated by the factory owner.
At a press conference in Yangon on Monday, some of the workers denounced the arbitration office’s decision. “The workers decided to take their boss to court as the arbitration office’s decision did not satisfy their demand for the boss to reinstate them at the factory,” said the workers’ press liaison Ma Thandar Moe. The workers are accusing the factory owner of firing them without giving due notice or allowing the issue to go before the factory’s negotiating committee.
Approximately 500 workers around the country lost their jobs after Myanmar adopted a minimum wage of K3,600 (US$2.80) for an eight-hour work day on 28 August. Other factories have reportedly stopped providing free transport and overtime pay in order to maximise their profits.