“We want brands to know that workers are being pressured by factories to say good words when they contact workers. .”
Garment workers at a Huabo Times factory in Myanmar issued the petition in March, more than a year before the country’s military dictatorship launched a coup on February 1, 2021. I didn’t even have time to use the restroom because of the harassment and abuse and the impossible goals set by the factory.
Fast-forward a few months and Myanmar’s military executes four pro-democracy activists for the first time in more than 30 years, and the state crackdown escalates fatally 18 months after the Myanmar army was illegally seized. The world watched with horror. power. The killings came after a series of brutal and often fatal attacks against those opposing the military regime.
A struggle in which garment workers played a front-line role. At least 55 trade unionists have been killed and over 300 union leaders and members of the labor movement have been arrested since the coup began. Almost all union leaders have been forced into hiding, but those still working in the factories are effectively silent due to the very real fear of repercussions. Due to the severe restrictions on coverage in the field, it is currently almost impossible to get a clear picture of the reality on the ground.
Since the military takeover, the London-based Business & Human Rights Resource Center has monitored a significant increase in human rights abuses for labor and garment workers in Myanmar. Together with domestic and international partners and allies, we tracked over 100 alleged abuses against at least 60,800 of her garment workers in just 18 months. There is no doubt that Myanmar’s fashion supply chain is experiencing widespread and systematic labor violations. These allegations relate to factories that supply some of our favorite fashion brands, including H&M, GUESS, Inditex (Zara & Bershka), Next, Primark, and many others, and the clothes in our closets. has caused serious concern about who suffers from the production of
The cases we documented paint a grim picture. More than half included wage theft (55), but other common violations included abusive labor rates and forced overtime (35) and attacks on freedom of association (55). 31 cases), and gender-based violence and harassment (28 cases). It also documented the killing of seven of his workers and the arbitrary arrest and detention of at least 29 of his workers by military and security forces.
Some of the allegations of abuse involved violent repression of union leaders and workers. On her April 20th this year, two female trade union activists were arrested after being brutally beaten by six soldiers after participating in a protest against the military government in Yangon. On the way home, after a military vehicle rammed her taxi, soldiers beat her two women, loaded the women and the taxi driver into the vehicle, and took them to an interrogation center.
In another incident a year ago, six workers from Xing Jia Footwear (including one women’s union leader) were accused by the military and police after workers gathered outside the factory to demand unpaid wages. was shot dead by Several workers were arrested, three were court-martialed and he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
Many cases of abuse have been attributed to the brand’s factory suppliers either directly or by the military in collusion with suppliers. but given the seemingly deep entanglement between garment factory owners and the military, the number could be much higher. Unions said the military raided factories to arrest workers suspected of participating in an anti-coup, and factories shared lists of union leaders with the military government. The military is also conducting door-to-door searches in workplaces, accommodations and homes. These alleged abuses could be just the tip of the iceberg given that garment workers are at the forefront of civil disobedience movements in Myanmar demanding an end to its dictatorship and the restoration of democracy. is high.
Faced with this ongoing and often violent repression, many local and international unions are calling on international brands to withdraw from Myanmar until democracy is restored.
There are distinct risks associated with brands leaving Myanmar. The country’s garment sector employs about 700,000 people. These workers, 90% women, would be out of a job if orders dried up and factories closed. Many could fall into extreme poverty in a crisis of conflict and economic instability. According to Save the Children, a Myanmar family has lost more than half of her income since February 2021 on average, with a third of households relying on others to help them survive.
But some labor groups argue that the brands that remain are effectively prioritizing profit over human rights. Now a clothing worker, her daily income he earns less than $2, well below what he needs to live on. The factory has used the dictatorship to roll back the hard-won labor rights and protections of the unions over the past two decades.
The resource center invited 33 brands. All of these brands are reportedly sourcing from factories in Myanmar where abuse has been documented. Of the 23 brands that responded, a majority (16) highlighted their policy commitments to protecting the human rights of workers in their supply chains, including conducting human rights due diligence. Despite these commitments, most cases of alleged abuse in brands’ supply chains remain unresolved, demonstrating a worrying gap between corporate commitments and factory reality. This raises questions about whether brands can conduct effective due diligence in the current situation.
Importantly, 17 brands said they had launched their own investigations into the allegations.And seven brands, including C&A, H&M, Lidl, Next and Primark, have delivered on their corporate commitments to human rights. We have outlined the actions we are taking to ensure redress for affected workers, which is an important step in doing so. However, just over a third of his brands (9) said they had no direct union or worker engagement, which is essential for effective worker engagement, from social audits or independent interviews with suppliers. It refuted the allegations, noting the findings of the There are also concerns about the future of Myanmar’s sector.
The reality is that the situation for workers’ rights, and more broadly for human rights, is likely to continue to deteriorate as the dictatorship drags on.
“We have worked hard to protect jobs and workers’ rights,” said Khaing Gia, president of the Union of Myanmar Industrial Workers. “But … we see that military dictatorships are not gone … It is important to contribute to their immediate and permanent defeat … Making difficult decisions that alleviate the suffering of our people is our moral It’s a legal obligation.”
These circumstances raise serious questions for brands and their investors who continue to source from Myanmar about their ability to source responsibly and ensure that workers in their supply chains are protected. We need to conduct ongoing and high-level human rights due diligence necessary to operate in the region. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for brands to truly monitor supplier factory conditions and ensure compliance with their own and international standards and mandates.
As it became clear today, brands must wake up to the harsh reality that they do not have the option of continuing business as usual in Myanmar. And where due diligence cannot be exercised, or where it is concluded that workers’ rights cannot be protected, responsible exit strategies should be considered in consultation with unions and workers themselves. . Now is the time for brands and the world to stand shoulder to shoulder with the companies that have ensured the profitability of many apparel companies. Their clothes hang in our closets today.
