Myanmar's Blue Collar workforce
The following essay submission was sent to us anonymously by a reader in Yangon who has been following recent events. Those who are further interested in this topic may also like to listen to recent podcast interviews we’ve conducted on the topic of labor: one with Maung Maung, currently president of the Confederation of Trade Unions in Myanmar (CTUM), and the other with Stephen Campbell, an academic who has studied the labor movement in Myanmar.
“The consequences hit the female workforce particularly hard, with many unable to afford rent, and unable to support their family anymore.”
The location and names cannot be disclosed in the following news story due to the safety of the workers. This report was written based on the information provided from who suffered and wished to contact Insight Myanmar, in order to let the international community know what they had experienced.
The lives of blue-collar workers have been oppressed for many generations in Myanmar. During the NLD period, many labor unions were formed and they tried to stand up for and protect the workers - a positive step, to be sure. However, their struggles continued.
At the beginning of the coup, we experienced nation-wide protests at the same time as the third wave of Covid-19. This led to some employers ceasing the operation of their businesses and laying off their employees. The consequences hit the female workforce particularly hard, with many unable to afford rent, and unable to support their family anymore. Those women who were once blue-collar workers are now facing hardship, with some young girls who were once skilled laborers now forced to turn to prostitution as a way to make ends meet.
Here is what one contact shared with us: "My daughter and I are from Sagaing and we have some relatives there. We got a job in the city and decided to move xxx for our better future. But after 2 years of working there the owner suddenly decided to lay off us. We are no longer able to pay the rental charges. We cannot do any of the available income generation jobs because we only know farming and tailoring. To get income for our survival, my daughter sneakily earned money as a prostitute without letting me know.” These words came from the mother of a young daughter who had no choice in life and became a prostitute. Sadly, the girl recently passed away from injuries sustained in this line of work.
About three months ago, some heavily drunk junta soldiers took her to enjoy her service and promised to pay the fee. The girl could not deny them as that area is controlled by the junta forces. The next day, she came back home with many bruises on her face and body. Due to a lack of options and services, they had to treat her injuries by themselves. But it could not save her life. She passed away two weeks after that incident.
Now there are factories operating under the control of the military council. However, due to the increasing prices of commodities and overall inflation, the daily wage of the workers does not cover the basic meals. The daily wage is 4000 kyat (est $1 USD). Meals for a family of three is 3,800 ($0.9)kyats per day. Healthcare is also not provided by the factory. Therefore, in order to spend money on healthcare and other social activities, the whole family including the children have to work. In addition to that, some business owners oppress and dismiss the laborers from conflict affected areas such as Sagaing, Magway without any reasons.
We are now really worried about the safety and stability of our blue collar workers.