Yaung
Chi Oo Workers Association (YCOWA)
PO.Box 37, Mae Sot, Tak 63110,Thailand Ph 09 56 5 9899 E.mail: moeswe88@hotmail.com Information Release 420 Workers Fired and Arrested for Demanding Legal Rights On 23 June, 420 Burmese factory workers were dismissed from their jobs for submitting a complaint about their working conditions to the Tak Labor office. Prior to this, the workers had approached their employer and listed their demands, all of which they were already legally entitled to under Thai law. The employer responded to the workers attempt to negotiate an agreement through legal channels by firing all of the workers and calling the police to arrest and deport them. This arrest directly violates Thai law, which states that registered workers who are dismissed from their jobs have 7 days to find new employment. Currently the 420 workers are at the immigration detention center where awaiting deportation back to Burma. Young Chi Oo has received information that the workers will be deported directly into the hands of Burmese authorities probably sometime this afternoon (Tuesday June 24). In addition, YCO has learned that the factory owner has given the Burmese authorities information about the 20 workers elected as representatives to negotiate with the employer. YCO has serious concerns about the fate of these workers if they are deported. Please contact the Director of Immigration in Mae Sot to protest this illegal deportation. Name: Khun Hanit Background King Body Concept Co.Ltd. Factory is located in Mae Sot, Tak Province. The factory produces clothing that is exported to six countries including the US, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Approximately 100 Thais and 420 Burmese migrants (400 women and 20 men) work at King Body Concept. All of the Burmese workers have legal permits to work in Thailand. According to Thai Law, registered workers must receive the same rights and protections as Thai workers. In Tak Province the minimum wage is 133 baht per day, with 25 baht per hour for overtime work. At the King Body Concept Factory, Thai workers receive the minimum wage, but Burmese workers earn only 55 baht per day, with 5 baht an hour for overtime work. In addition, Burmese workers report that they are not allowed to refuse to work overtime and the normal workday at factory runs from 8 am to 10 pm. During peak production periods workers are sometimes forced to work until 3 am. The factory owner also withholds the original copies of the Burmese workers’ work permits, violating Thai immigration law which requires workers to carry their permits with them at all times. Out of their 55 baht-a-day wages, the factory owner also deducts 300 baht monthly for providing basic housing and rice to the Burmese workers. In addition, the owner levies a further unexplained 3% tax on the workers’ salaries. Current Situation Since the beginning of June 2003 workers report that living conditions at the factory have become very bad. There is not enough water for drinking or bathing, the dormitory is overcrowded and the toilets are filthy and stinking. In the face of these problems the workers became increasingly dissatisfied and began to demand that their employer address these issues. On 18 June the 420 Burmese workers all signed a statement to their employer and posted it on the notice board of the factory. The statement included the following demands: · That they be allowed to keep their original work permits The employer failed to respond to this statement, and the following day the workers handed him a copy of their demands directly. Again they received no response from their employer and so on 20 June they sent a formal complaint letter to the Tak Labor Protection and Welfare office. The labor protection office responded saying that they would send a labor official on 23 June to mediate between the employer and the workers. On June 20th the workers went into the factory, but the factory managers told the workers that there was no work for them to do that day, and that the next two days would also be a holiday (usually the workers have to work on Saturdays and Sundays). On Monday the 23rd the labor official arrived at the factory and held a meeting with the factory owner and 10 workers elected to be representatives. However before the meeting the factory owner called the local and immigration police and Border patrol soldiers. While their coworkers were negotiating with the employer and the labor official, soldiers carrying guns surrounded the rest of the workers and forced them to sit in the middle of the factory compound. Finally the employer said he would not give in to any of the workers demands, and that he wanted to dismiss all of the workers because they had not worked for the last three days. The workers then asked for the two months compensation that they were entitled to according to the law. The owner refused and told them “ I will give you your last months’ salary and you must leave now.” Then the labor official left the factory, and several of the security guards at the factory threatened the workers saying, “you should accept this salary and leave, otherwise you will be in big trouble.” After the employer gave the workers their last month’s salaries, the immigration police forced them onto the immigration trucks. At this time several of the labor officials were standing outside the factory watching as the workers were arrested. Then the police brought the workers to the IDC. This arrest was illegal, as workers who are dismissed from their jobs by law are given 7 days to find new employment before they are subject to deportation. Currently the 420 workers are at the immigration detention center and Young Chi Oo has received information that the workers will be deported directly into the hands of Burmese authorities probably sometime this afternoon (Tuesday June 24). In addition, YCO has learned that the factory owner has given the Burmese authorities information about the 20 workers elected as representatives to negotiate with the employer. YCO has serious concerns about the fate of these workers if they are deported. Names of Worker Representatives from King Body Concept Factory 1. Ahtun, M
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