• Burmese
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
33 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Features
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Features
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Burmese Labor Minister Meets Labor Rights NGOs

by The Irrawaddy
July 24, 2012
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Burmese Labor Minister Meets Labor Rights NGOs

Thousands of Burmese migrants work long hours for low wages at factories such as this one in Thailand. (Photo: Jacobbaynham)

2.7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Burma’s Labor Minister Aung Kyi met with representatives of five NGOs at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok on Tuesday when they discussed issues surrounding Burmese migrant workers, their rights, and the conditions they work under.

The meeting was arranged as part of President Thein Sein’s three-day visit to Thailand where he focused mostly on cementing plans to proceed with the Dawei Special Economic Zone.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta, Russian Officials Meet for Security, Military Consultations

Myanmar Junta, Russian Officials Meet for Security, Military Consultations

December 6, 2023
7
Myanmar Junta Continues to Lose Troops, Bases in 5 Days of Resistance Attacks

Myanmar Junta Continues to Lose Troops, Bases in 5 Days of Resistance Attacks

December 6, 2023
514
Myanmar Junta Uses Chemical Warfare: Arakan Army

Myanmar Junta Uses Chemical Warfare: Arakan Army

December 5, 2023
6.9k

Accompanying Aung Kyi were Labour Affairs Coordinator Kyaw Kyaw Lwin and two other diplomats from the Burmese embassy in Thailand. The NGOs represented at the meeting were: the Foundation for Education and Development (FED); Burma Association Thailand (BAT); the Migrant Assistance Program (MAP Foundation); Indonesia’s Diponegoro University (UNDIP); and Mekong Migration Network.

The labor rights activists say they raised the issue of workplace violations. They said that many Burmese migrants complain that their Thai employers’ treatment of them remains unchanged despite the “legalization” of many migrant workers under the temporary passport scheme which was introduced in 2009.

Htoo Chit, the director of FED, said that the violation of work contracts is “a common problem,” in reference to the terms and conditions which migrant workers sign with their employers when they join the workforce.

Htoo Chit said he and other representatives of the NGOs highlighted this issue and similar problems to Burma’s labor minister, and that they expressed their opposition to the Thai government’s statement that it intended to begin deporting pregnant migrants.

Burmese workers continually face exploitation in Thailand’s factories despite attaining legal status in the form of temporary passports and work permits, he said.

During Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to the country in May, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa promised that Thailand would take better care of Burmese workers and increase their salaries, which are regularly paid at rates below the official Thai minimum wage.

Labor rights activists in Mae Sot said that wages had been increased marginally in that area, but that those migrants were still restricted from travelling outside the province to look for better-paying work.

Moe Gyo, the chairman of Mae Sot-based Joint Action Committee for Burma Affairs, said, “The travel restrictions set by the Mae Sot authorities have been informally imposed since the middle of May this year.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, Aung Kyi told the NGO representatives that Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had assured him that Thailand would “take care of Myanmar laborers in Thailand in a just manner and according to Thai laws.”

But Htoo Chit said that many Thai authorities are themselves opposed to the very laws they have created. “We urged the labor minister to talk about these concerns with the Thai government,” he said.

In Thailand, there are somewhere between 2 to 3 million Burmese migrants working mainly in factories, fisheries, agriculture and construction or as domestic workers.

Meanwhile, on Monday, 13 Burmese workers from a garment factory in central Thailand’s Nakorn Sawan province were punished for taking a day’s leave on Saturday.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, one of the workers, Kyaw San Oo, said, “We are paid less than the wages stated in the contracts, and we must work six days a week. On Saturday, 13 of us took a day off and on Monday we were told not to come back to work for seven days.”

He said that according to their work contracts, the cost for a temporary passport and work permit should not have exceeded 10,000 baht (US $333). However, they each had to pay 12,000 baht, and 1,000 baht is deducted from their salaries every month to repay the outlay.

He said that, according to the work contracts that the 60 migrant workers have signed, the stated daily wage is 232 baht (US $7.75) plus additional earnings should be available through overtime. However, workers are paid by production and never paid overtime, he said.

“We only earn half of that wage,” said Kyaw San Oo. “This month I only earned 2,784 baht [$93] and was deducted 2,000 baht for my passport and work permit. This is not enough to live on.”

Your Thoughts …
Previous Post

Chiang Mai Monastery Dispute Resolved

Next Post

Burma’s Emerging Democracy

The Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy

...

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

November 28, 2023
79.1k
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

November 29, 2023
71.4k
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

December 4, 2023
48.7k
Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

November 27, 2023
30.1k
Brotherhood Alliance Marching Towards Capital of Myanmar’s Kokang Region

Brotherhood Alliance Marching Towards Capital of Myanmar’s Kokang Region

November 25, 2023
27.2k
General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption

General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption

September 14, 2023
24.3k
Load More
Next Post
Burma’s Emerging Democracy

Burma’s Emerging Democracy

US Investors in Burma will be 'Sensitive to the Environment': Hormats

US Investors in Burma will be 'Sensitive to the Environment': Hormats

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

As Myanmar’s Junta Loses Control, Its Coup Leader Ratchets Up His Blame Game

As Myanmar’s Junta Loses Control, Its Coup Leader Ratchets Up His Blame Game

5 days ago
7.9k
Charting the Shifting Power Balance on Myanmar’s Battlefields 

Charting the Shifting Power Balance on Myanmar’s Battlefields 

4 days ago
6.6k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Boss Tries to Drive Wedge Between Ethnic Armies, Civilians

    Myanmar Junta Boss Tries to Drive Wedge Between Ethnic Armies, Civilians

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Full Civilian Rule Restored in First Large Town Seized by Myanmar Resistance: NUG

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Resistance Seizes First Town in Bago Region: KNU

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Uses Chemical Warfare: Arakan Army

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Features
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.