The junta’s crackdown on political opposition and civil society has not spared Myanmar’s workforce, with unions banned and felony fees levied in opposition to a number of leaders and members.
Employees from Yangon’s factories had been among the many first members of the general public to protest the February 2021 coup. Many at the moment are among the many 1.6 million workers who’ve since misplaced their jobs nationwide because the army’s tried seizure of energy, based on the Worldwide Labour Organisation (ILO).
Some 16 labour teams have been outlawed by the coup council, together with the Coordination Committee of Commerce Unions (CCTU). Myanmar Now spoke with the CCTU’s secretary basic, Ye Naing Win, about how the organisation has remained lively, and the methods by which employees have been affected by junta repression.
Myanmar Now: How has CCTU been working because the coup?
Ye Naing Win: As a gaggle, we now have stood on our personal two toes because the starting. Funds have grown tighter, nevertheless it doesn’t imply we will’t function, though there are numerous challenges. We don’t have a bodily workplace anymore. We used to have the ability to overtly assist employees each time there was a criticism, however now we will solely present them solutions on what to do and the place to go.
How are manufacturing unit employees specifically getting by?
Political instability and worldwide sanctions have led to many individuals dropping their jobs, because the factories have been shut down. Employees who had been as soon as everlasting salaried workers have both been fired or they’ve been employed as each day wage labourers.
Fewer complaints have been filed to our workplaces. There was many, together with concerning issues of wage, however they’ve all stopped now. Protests have nearly fully stopped, too. Jobs are scarce and there are fewer alternatives. Employees are now not secure.
Has there been any progress made on earlier plans concerning the formation of unions to advocate for employees’ rights?
It was not very straightforward to type employees’ unions in factories even earlier than [the coup]. The earlier [elected civilian] authorities was solely permitting them to practise that proper as a result of the suitable to affiliation is included in ILO conventions to which Myanmar is a signatory. The chance to practise that proper has change into nearly out of date because the coup. Some employers have been turning a blind eye to employees’ rights—not that they didn’t do that earlier than, nevertheless it has change into worse. The criticism mechanisms had been good earlier than, a minimum of. They nonetheless exist as we speak, however only a few individuals need to actively assist employees left within the nation. Nearly all of labour organisations that supported these employees have left.
Employees have begun to lose their authorized rights. They will now not demand recognition of their rights as they must prioritise protecting their jobs, rising their salaries, and enhancing their work atmosphere. That’s why plans to type employees’ unions have been halted.
Is it secure for labour organisations to remain within the nation?
There are issues both approach, whether or not they keep or go. There have been some disagreements between us and a few exiled labour organisations. This isn’t the primary time we’ve confronted a army dictatorship. I’ve been engaged on labour points since 2005. We’ve gone by way of this earlier than, and we managed to proceed working. After we lastly received a civilian authorities, issues grew to become simpler and we may work overtly and extra extensively. Now that we’re again beneath the outdated system, we simply must work in the best way we did earlier than.
Some exiled labour organisations have criticised or condemned labour teams for the best way we work. The army council can be protecting a detailed eye on us to see how far we are going to go, how united we change into, or to what extent we are going to problem them. However our job is stimple: we’re simply going to remain linked to the employees.
How do you’re employed with the junta’s labour ministry?
We’ve solely been working with the ministry’s employees’ affairs departments. Our organisation was simply serving to with a case a few criticism being filed to the arbitration council concerning the firing of employees. Resolving labour disputes by way of this council was handy, because the complaints had been written by employees’ affairs organisations and labour unions. Nevertheless, complaints being filed now have been written by the employees themselves, so there’s a number of lacking info. This in flip ends in losses, though what’s being reported is right. I all the time assist out if I discover out that somebody is correct and if what they’re asking for is one thing they deserve.
Legal guidelines to guard employees’ rights have been round since colonial occasions—they aren’t but out of date. We’d like to have the ability to practise the rights which can be outlined, however we inevitably want to have the ability to report points to the related departments. Individuals ask me if our organisation is working with the junta. What I say is that there isn’t anywhere to file labour complaints aside from the departments at present in existence. All we will do is inform them what’s inside our rights and demand to practise these rights to the complete extent. In the event that they refuse to conform, it’s them who’re breaking the legislation. That’s my philosophy.
What varieties of instances have you ever been requested to assist with not too long ago?
There was a case the place the employees didn’t get the complete wage that they had been owed when a manufacturing unit in East Dagon shut down. They weren’t paid for six months. At first, the employees referred to as us and instructed us that they had been going to carry a protest within the manufacturing unit. I instructed them to not protest because it may end in additional misunderstandings relatively than them getting what they really needed. I organized a direct negotiation with their employer and greater than 800 employees received the salaries that they had been due. It was a hit.
The issues that almost all of the employees are dealing with are associated to getting fired from their jobs, not getting compensation, or dropping salaried jobs in an effort to be employed on each day wages. Some each day wage labourers have been fired after they anticipated to be promoted to salaried jobs. These are violations of employees’ rights by the employers .
Some international employers need to exploit the employees amid the present political instability. Re-hiring a everlasting employee as a wage employee saves them six days’ wages per 30 days. Once they try this to tons of of employees, they make much more revenue. The employees, then again, are barely left with any cash to purchase meals.
There was employees’ representatives on the factories on prime of employees’ unions. Are they nonetheless there?
After the scenario calmed down a bit following the coup, the Ministry of Labour reopened their problem-solving mechanisms. Coordination groups had been shaped once more in each manufacturing unit, referred to as Work Coordination Committees or WCCs.
The present regime’s labour administration has mentioned that they won’t enable any criticism to be filed to the authorities with no session with the WCC. In some factories, there aren’t any employees’ unions however there’s a WCC. Whereas it’s mentioned that they’re shaped with an equal employer to worker ratio, the WCCs are infamous for working in favour of the employer, even beneath the earlier two governments. It’s not that straightforward to resolve issues on the committee degree.
Some employees’ unions had been abolished when factories shut down, and they aren’t able to type once more. Some factories nonetheless have unions, however they aren’t operational. In different phrases, there’s little room for unions to take any motion, leading to extra violations of employees’ rights. Some employers have threatened and exploited employees as a result of this weak spot.
Would you say that employees are nonetheless capable of demand their rights by way of protest?
This administration doesn’t enable any sort of strikes in any respect, not to mention employees’ strikes. On prime of that, employees’ strikes are completely different from different political protests. Scholar protests are primarily based on their dedication: they continue to be united by way of any situation as a result of they’re dedicated to the trigger. The struggle of employees, nevertheless, relies on their fundamental must survive. Relying on what their fundamental wants are, their fights will be very large. One other factor to think about is that we have to obtain what we’re combating for in each strike—each strike has to bear fruit.
That’s why we will’t simply decide to go up in opposition to an administration that doesn’t enable strikes. Nevertheless, if we’re too broke to even purchase meals, we must begin demanding our rights. If tens of 1000’s of employees are ravenous, they may exit on the streets to protest, with out anybody even rallying them.
This interview has been evenly edited for readability.
