Our work in production countries - © FEMNET Myanmar: A fight for survival on several fronts A report by our co-worker, Ohnmar Khin. Two years ago, the military in Myanmar violently couped itself to power. After just a few days, there were countless arrests and deaths during demonstrations against the regime. At the forefront are textile workers who work in factories of international companies and continue to take to the streets today despite the great danger. At the same time, all Burmese in the country lack the most essential: The cost of living has exploded due to inflation and there is no longer sufficient medical care in the country. Many do not have the financial means to flee and those who manage to do so face new challenges and have to fear far away for their future and that of their families. ‘What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? [...] Or does it explode?’ Langston Hughes On the first of February 2023, two years after the military coup in Myanmar, I was in Berlin to demonstrate. There I met some new friends from Myanmar. These friendships were all created by the coup. We all live far away from our families and our homeland, which welds together. One of these friends is a film director, another political scientist and a graphic designer. Young people no longer have a future in Myanmar. They will flee if they have the opportunity. Others remain, sacrifice their lives and fight against the military. For me, they are heroes. My new friends have difficulty learning German. They have no choice but to settle in Germany. For me it was a free decision to learn this difficult language, because eight years ago I decided to study in Germany. That was before the coup. But my friends? I feel sorry for them because they had no other choice and now have to start from scratch in Germany. The military has destroyed our homeland. Nevertheless, my friends are doing well, because they had the opportunity to flee Myanmar, while others - young people, workers, seamstresses or old people - remain in the country without medical care and have to suffer. For example, the seamstresses who have been demonstrating since the start of the coup. Myanmar Labour News reports daily on how seamstresses and workers in the country are suffering and being exploited. In a report, the author writes how workers have been threatened by supervisors and forced to work overtime because otherwise they lose their jobs. Overtime is not paid. The workers are afraid of losing their income and therefore do not take lunch breaks to finish the work, as the supervisor demands. How can this continue to happen in front of all of us? There is no health insurance or social security in the factories. If a seamstress reports sick, she has no right to paid sick days. And if she goes sick for more than two days, she loses her job. Myanmar Jiale Fashion Garment factory make clothes for big brands like H&M, Zara and OYSHO. How can it be that seamstresses have to work unpaid overtime for rich companies in the factories? You have no way to defend yourself. If they do, they will be fired. At the same time, because of the coup and the troubled political situation, inflation in Myanmar is very high, so workers need their jobs to survive. For the seamstresses, the current situation is therefore a struggle for survival on several fronts. Ohnmar Khin is from Myanmar and has been living in Germany since 2015. After her German course, she started studying in Bonn in 2019. Since then she has been a student assistant at FEMNET. Her family lives in Myanmar to this day. Due to the political situation, Ohnmar is currently unable to enter Myanmar to visit her family. Our cooperation with the IMFM trade union With the beginning of the military's takeover of power in February 2021, FEMNET has set up an emergency fund for textile workers. Situation on the ground reported. FEMNET has also provided financial support to the Industrial Workers' Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) since 2021. In 2022, FEMNET channelled a total of EUR 11,000 in donations to IMFM for 127 unionised workers, in particular textile workers, supporting around 835 people. Become a FEMNET sponsoring member Sources: Myanmar Labour News, 16. Feb 2023 FEMNET has reported on the situation in Myanmar on several occasions: 31 August 2022Overtime, Surveillance and Violence - On the Current Situation in Myanmar 4 October 2021The impact of the military coup on Myanmar's clothing industry is fatal 19 August 2021Myanmar Trade Unions Call for Comprehensive Economic Sanctions back
