The Solidarity of Trade Union Myanmar (STUM) announced that employees at the JOC Myanmar garment factory returned to work on Saturday after management announced that monthly attendance bonuses would be withheld if the workers continued their strike after Jan. 7.
“Both sides agreed [to stop the strike],” a worker from the factory in Yangon’s Shwepyitha Township told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The JOC Myanmar factory management agreed to the wage increase two days later, on Jan. 9.
The initial agreement includes a minimum daily wage of 8,300 MMK ($2.10 USD) per worker, with a 10,000 MMK ($2.50 USD) increase in monthly attendance bonuses. It also covered 8,300 MMK ($2.10 USD) per day per worker while on strike Jan. 1-4.
Before the strike, employees at JOC Myanmar garment factory received a wage of 7,800 MMK ($2 USD) per day and a monthly attendance bonus of 30,000 MMK ($7.60 USD).
A worker from JOC Myanmar garment factory told STUM that they continue to call on management for a return to their daily wage of 12,000 MMK ($3 USD), which was abruptly reduced to 7,800 MMK ($2 USD) on Dec. 29.
The Chinese-owned JOC Myanmar, which previously operated under the name of COSTEC International Co. Ltd, employs 1,000 workers in Yangon’s Shwepyitha Industrial Zone 3. It receives orders from Turkish retailer LC Waikiki, as well as Japan’s X Shelter, Zero Stage and Colopuca.
