Modern Slavery in Rangoon’s Industrial Zones

On 14 November, a group of labor organizations and unions released the English language version of ‘Modern Slavery: A Study of Labour Conditions in Yangon’s Industrial Zones 2012-2013’. The Burmese language version was released in Rangoon on 30 October. Research into the abysmal living and working conditions in the main industrial zones of Rangoon, including Hlaingtharyar, was undertaken by Labor Rights Clinic, Cooperation Programme of Independent Labourers, Construction-based Labour Union and Workers Support Group, as well as other labor unions and activists who wish to remain anonymous.

The report underscores the many challenges that workers face in their daily lives. The typical basic wage is around US$25-US$37 per month, leaving workers little choice but to work an average 11 hours per day, 6 days per week, just to make ends meet. Many, who fail to earn enough to cover their monthly living expenses, turn to pay-day lenders, thereby trapping them in a vicious cycle of debt. A complex system of bonuses, as well as the need for overtime, means that any time taken for sickness or holiday, anything other than 100% punctuality, or any perceived under-performance, means that employers can dock significant amounts of workers’ monthly wages. The report also finds that sanitation and health standards are generally inadequate, that many people live in dirty overcrowded, factory-provided hostels, that women face sexual harassment traveling to and from work, and that factory supervisors are often harsh and ruthless […]

Strike at Garment Factory Enters Second Week

Workers at a Yangon garment factory have entered the second week of a strike called over the sacking of a colleague and the installation of CCTV cameras near a women’s toilet.

The strike by about 200 workers at the ‘Handsome’ factory in Dagon Seikkan township began on October 26 after the sacking of their colleague,Sithu Min,who was reportedly accused by management of refusing to work overtime […]

Farmers Across Burma Ask Thein Sein for Help

A movement among farmers to win back confiscated land has spread widely across the country, with protesters in Burma’s biggest city and several other divisions urging President Thein Sein to step in and help.

In downtown Rangoon, more than 200 landowners gathered at Sule Pagoda on Thursday and called on Thein Sein to give back land that was confiscated by the government more than two decades ago […]

Hundreds Demand Probe of Burmese Mine Crackdown Five Months On

Hundreds of villagers held a protest Monday to back their persistent calls for a government probe into a harsh crackdown on protesters against a controversial China-backed copper mine in northern Burma’s Sagaing division that left more than 100 injured and was strongly condemned by rights groups.

More than 500 people marched from Ton village in Sagaing to the office of the Letpadaung mine developer, demanding an end to the project and calling on authorities to prosecute those responsible for a Nov. 29 pre-dawn raid […]

ASEAN Parliamentarians Call for Urgent National and Regional Response to Sectarian Violence in Myanmar, and Independent Investigation into Madrasa Fire in Yangon

The ASEAN inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) is deeply concerned by reports of violence between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Myanmar and urges the Myanmar Parliament, ASEAN and other interested parties to act immediately to take appropriate measures to seek a long-term solution to inter-communal tensions whilst also protecting communities that remain at risk […]

Rangoon Car Dealers Protest Eviction from Hanthawady Market

Used-car dealers opposed to local government efforts to shut down Burma’s largest car-trading market held protests on Friday after municipal authorities sealed off the compound.

On Feb. 16, the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) ordered all businesses at the Hanthawady car-trading market to relocate by the end of February. The market sits on an 8.6-acre plot of land owned by the YCDC, which is planning to set up a housing project there […]

Calls for Better Working Conditions in Burma

As Burma’s political, economic and social spheres continue to gradually open up there has been increasing dissatisfaction among workers and those who have been denied a voice for the past several decades. This is evident by the recent case where workers rallied for improved working conditions in a wood furniture factory in Rangoon […]

Steel Workers Go on Hunger Strike

Around 25 workers at a Chinese-owned steel factory in Rangoon Division announced on Friday that they will begin a hunger strike in response to the company’s refusal to raise wages […]

Artists Launch Peace Movement and Fundraising Campaign for IDPs in Kachin State

A group of artist led by U Ye Lwin has launched an awareness raising and fundraising movement in Rangoon. The group performed in public areas such teashops and restaurants in Rangoon and collect donation for war-fled displaced people Kachin State […]

Farmers Square Off with Parliamentarian’s Company

Tensions nearly boiled over between security guards from a company owned by business tycoon and parliamentarian Khin Shwe and local farmers in Rangoon’s Mingaladon township last Thursday over a land dispute.

On May 10, a row broke out between the two sides when employees from the Zaykabar company began to bulldoze land in Shwenanthar village. The farmers in the area responded by taking to the fields with two tractors and standing their ground […]