ENGLISH DEYEA NEWS

Narinjara | About 200 workers in Sittwe boycotted a shrimp factory on 27 October to demand the removal of restrictions that had been imposed by the factory owners, said a worker from the factory.

He said, "We boycotted the factory to remove unnecessary restrictions put on us by the owners because the restrictions are unacceptable to workers in the factory."

The shrimp product factory, Yamin Thawda, is located in Do Wan Wra Ward in Sittwe and has over 200 employees.

The factory owners began to cut 1,500 kyat per day from a worker pay if he or she were absent from work. They also canceled the bus ferry for the workers.

"A worker receives only 18,000 kyat as salary per month, but the owner cut 1,500 kyat per day if the worker could not make to work, even if they are sick. At the same time, the owners cancelled the ferry system for workers. So we boycotted the factory over these two matters," he said.

The workers went to the factory on 27 October demanding they withdraw the pay cuts for missed days and to arrange a ferry again for the workers.

"We went to the factory but we did not join in work that day, and we demanded the factory owner fulfill our basic rights. We boycotted the factory by standing firm outside the compound," the worker said.

Afterward, the workers stayed home on strike for three days.

According to a worker source, the factory owners eventually compromised with the workers and agreed to fulfill their demands related to the pay cuts, but not to the ferry.

"We are now going to work after the factory owners promised to give us full salaries without cuts, but the ferry was impossible to get as the factory authority denied the request due to the high price of fuel," the worker said.

The Yamin Thawda factory is a joint-venture between a local businessman and a Chinese businessman. Its products are exported to China and other countries via Rangoon.