News - © Myanmar now media 01 February 2022 International brands must act and cease production in Myanmar On February 1, 2021 the military in Myanmar staged a coup, arrested the elected members of the government, and took power. Four days later, a general strike began with numerous street protests known as the civil disobedience movement. At the forefront were the textile workers of Myanmar. To this day, their protests are violently suppressed, and trade unionists are arrested and killed. International brands must act and stop production in Myanmar to weaken the military regime. With street rallies, noise protests, red ribbons and the three-finger symbol, the people of Myanmar have been resisting the military for over a year. In 2021 the military couped itself into power by dissolving parliament. Along with the police, the regime has responded with violence to the peaceful protests across the country. According to a statement from the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), nearly 9,000 people have been detained and about 1,500 killed since then. Among the victims and those arrested are union leaders and textile industry workers who remain at the center of Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) protests today. Factory owners and employers are reportedly using the coup to undermine workers' rights. Permanent workers are being fired and replaced by temporary workers. Employers cooperate with the military regime by spying on union activists and passing on names of union members to the military. Most union organizers are now in hiding, but still active in the movement. Although wages for textile workers in Myanmar are among the lowest in the world, multinational companies are an important source of revenue for the military regime. The garment industry in Myanmar accounts for about 30% of all the country's exports. As a result of the EU's preferential Everything but Arms (EBA) trade agreement, more than half of Myanmar's total textile production is exported duty-free to Europe. International brands thus have the opportunity and the duty to put pressure on the regime by stopping production in Myanmar and paying compensation to textile workers to show solidarity with them and ensure their protection from persecution. In addition, FEMNET calls for an end to the EU's preferential trade agreement EBA with Myanmar companies and for no further orders to be placed in Myanmar. The EU and the U.S. must impose comprehensive, economic sanctions to weaken the military regime. The largest trade unions in Myanmar have joined forces to call on manufacturers to withdraw responsibly from the country. The textile workers in Myanmar who are courageously fighting for freedom and justice need our support!
