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31 August 2022 Overtime, Surveillance and Violence - On the Current Situation in Myanmar

With the executions of the four activists at the end of July, the violence of the military regime in Myanmar has reached a new, sad climax. De facto head of government Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to another six years in prison. The situation of Myanmar's textile workers is also becoming increasingly threatening. Raids and arrests in the factories are on the rise. At the same time, labour rights are curtailed, wages are cut and unrealistic production targets are set.

Current situation of textile workers

The pressure on the workers is growing. Even before the coup on 1. In February 2021, seamstresses usually earned only the minimum wage, around US$ 2.5 per day (as of July 2022). In addition, they are instructed to work more overtime, sometimes six days a week in 12-hour shifts or their salaries are reduced. In addition, factory management presupposes significantly higher production targets that the seamstresses cannot cope with. Break times are limited and some workers are even denied access to the toilet. In addition, monitoring in the factories is increasing. Workers report unannounced raids to arrest activists and trade unionists. At the same time, in the workplace, it is not allowed to communicate with each other in order to make trade union work more difficult and to suppress meetings.

According to various reports from Myanmar Now or the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, among others, these raids are based on information that factory management collects about the employees and passes on to the military. This is also confirmed by Khaing Zar Aung, President of the Industrial Workers' Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) and board member of the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM): ‘The factories provide the military and police with lists of trade union members, telephone numbers and addresses, as well as photos of trade union leaders.’ In addition, activists and trade unionists are deliberately intimidated and threatened. ‘They put soldiers at the gates to control workers’ mobile phones and arrest those who are against the military.’, said Khaing Zar Aung. Those affected face imprisonment, torture and murder.

Execution of four activists

At the end of July 2022, for the first time since 1990, four activists who have been campaigning for democracy in the country for decades were executed. One of them was one of the heads of the student protests of 1988. The four dissidents were convicted of alleged ‘brutal and inhuman acts of terrorism’. The surprisingly rapid execution of the sentences, which were handed down only in June, is an attempt by the military junta to intimidate the people of Myanmar and demonstrate their power.

In addition, the military regime is trying to eliminate the opposition of the country. In mid-August, the de facto head of government, Aung San Suu Kyi, was sentenced to another six years in prison for corruption after she had already been transferred to solitary confinement.

Article 505a of the Criminal Code

After taking power in February 2021, the military amended an article of the Criminal Code. Originally, Article 505 criminalized incitement to sedition, unrest and incitement to mutiny. The illegitimate military government extended the law by Section 505a, which allows for up to three years' imprisonment for causing fear, spreading fake news, and committing crimes against a government official, as well as making critical statements to the military. Since then, the law has been used by the government to arbitrarily arrest and condemn activists and trade unionists.

The role of trade unions

Most of the textile factories are located in Yangon, the industrial center of Myanmar in the south of the country. The district has been under martial law since the military took power in Feburar 2021, making the work of the trade unions very difficult as the right to assemble is suspended.

Trade unions in Myanmar were effectively banned under the first military dictatorship for almost 50 years. After the 1988 popular uprisings, the military dissolved all works councils that campaigned for the improvement and observance of labour rights. Nevertheless, some trade unions remained active from abroad, albeit to a limited extent. Only through a new reform process under the government of Thein Sein and the associated opening up and democratization of the country, the establishment of trade unions was legalized in 2011. "All these achievements were destroyed after the military coup on 1 February 2021," says Khaing Zar Aung.

Protests since the 2021 military coup

Five days after the coup, February 6, 2021, the predominantly female workers went on strike in downtown Yangon out of concern for their labour rights and freedom of assembly. Most of the protesting workers were unionised, including many textile workers. Their protests sparked a general strike and motivated people across the country to take to the streets. Since then, the military regime has been trying with all its might to suppress protests and trade union work, as shown by the increase in raids and surveillance in the factories.

Despite the strong repression, threats, arrests and murders, the workers continue to take to the streets and demonstrate for their rights. At the end of July, around 2000 textile workers gathered in Yangon and declared that the violations of their fundamental rights had become intolerable.

Increased poverty

Since the takeover of the military, according to an estimate by the ILO, around 1.6 million workers have lost their jobs due to factory and workplace closures. Even before the military coup last year, many people, especially families, fell into an existential crisis due to the corona pandemic. According to an article by Save the Children, families in Myanmar have lost on average more than half of their income since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and now amplified by the escalation of violence. Around 80% of families said that nutrition was their primary concern, with adults in one in five households limiting meals to feed their children. According to the World Bank, poverty in the country has doubled since 2020.

The role of international companies

The clothing industry is an important sector of Myanmar's economy and thus a source of foreign exchange revenue for the military regime. International brands can put pressure on the regime by phasing out their production in Myanmar in a socially responsible manner and making compensation payments to the workers. FEMNET calls for a review of whether the duty-free access to the EU market granted by the EU trade agreement EBA (Everything But Arms) is justified under a military regime with severe human rights violations such as that in Myanmar. Companies should no longer place orders in Myanmar.

Our solidarity work

With the beginning of the military's takeover in February 2021, FEMNET has set up an emergency fund for textile workers. To date, the Fund has provided direct support to 625 women and men. We continue to call for solidarity with the workers who have to fear for their freedom and lives on a daily basis.

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sources

The information in this text is based on various media reports from Myanmar Now, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, IndustrieALL Global Union, Save the Children, Spiegel, The World Bank, Asian Labour Review, ILO, Tagesschau, ITCU Global Rights Index as well as social media contributions from Myanmar Labour Alliance and individual activists, which we do not name for security reasons. Information cannot be independently verified by the current crisis situation in Myanmar.

2022 ITUC Global Rights Index -[last viewed on 31.08.2022]

Myanmar Now:
Garment factory workers strike in Yangon [07/08/2022]
Garment factory workers say repression increased following recent labour strike [14.07.2022]

Buisness & Human Rights Resource Centre:
Resistence, harassment and intimidation [July 2022]
Myanmar garment worker allegations tracker [last viewed on 31.8.2022]

IndustrieALL Global Union
EU must end preferential trade arragement with Myanmar military [13.07.2022]

Just style
Myanmar EBA arrangement removal would git 100,000s of garment workers [19.07.2022]

The World Bank
Myanmar Economic Monitor July 2022: Reforms reversed [21.07.2022]

Save the Children
Families in Myanmar lose more than half their Income in Year of Conflict, says Save the Children [28.07.2022]

mirrors
Myanmar military junta executes dissidents [25.07.2022]
Myanmar Labour Alliance [last viewed on 31.8.22]

Asian Labour Review
In Post-Coup Myanmar, Workers Assert Workplace Democracy amid Suspension of Electoral Rule [18.07.2022]

International Labour Organisation
ILO in Myanmar [last viewed on 31.8.22]

Tagesschau
Military junta executes four dissidents [25.07.2022]
Aung San Suu Kyi transferred to solitary confinement [23/06/2022]