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Myanmar garment workers shaping up amidst struggles
In order to discuss the challenges
faced by garment and textile
workers in the country, Myanmar
Garment Manufacturer
Association (MGMA) recently
held panel discussion and
seminar, co-organized by Union of
Myanmar Federation of Chambers
of Commerce and Industry
(UMFCCI). The theme of the
seminar was ‘Achieving Success
Through Challenges’.
Continuous strikes over wages,
little or no education, poverty,
(alleged) child labour issues and
several other reasons have not
stopped Myanmar garment and
textile workers to grow and make
the country a strong competitor in
garment export industry. Even the
panellists, invited by the MGMA
and UMFCCI for the seminar, have
families, especially those from
rural areas. There are over 400
apparel manufacturing units in
Myanmar, employing over 3,00,000
people including a large number of
uneducated women.
faced all these hardships before
achieving success.
It may be noted here that the
garment and textile industry is a
major contributor in the country’s
economy and this industry is
an increasingly popular ‘trade
of choice’ for many low-income
In terms of empowering women
workers in the industry, Zaw
Aye Maung, Rakhine Affairs
Minister said that every member
of the industry is also contributing
to the cause of women’s rights and
gender equality in Myanmar. Just
as the MGMA, which represents
a big community of both domestic
and foreign businesses, is
contributing to elevating the
status of women, the Government
of the country also sees females
taking more and more important
positions and achieving total
gender quality in the industry.
Cambodia: 2 killed, 4 injured in boiler explosion
in factory
A steam boiler installed just
few days ago, proved fatal at
the unregistered Chan Seng
Heng garment factory in south-
western Phnom Penh, Cambodia
claiming the lives of two workers
and injured four others recently.
The explosion took place
when the workers were on a
lunch break. One security guard
and one cleaner were among
the deceased.
Neth Mony Ponnaka, Director
of Phnom Penh Department of
Industry and Handicraft said,
“A specialized team will
inspect the garment factory
which opened just few days
back (on April 1) and was
not yet registered with the
department. They made a
mistake, and my department
was not aware of it. We will
talk with the owner. The
department did not get the
licence from the company,
which violates the law on
management of handicrafts,
Article 23. This owner could
be fined.”
According to him, the
boilers were “very old and
second-hand”. A visit to the
factory revealed that one of the
two wood-fired boilers exploded,
36 Apparel Online Bangladesh | MAY 2017 | www.apparelresources.com
blowing through walls and
roofing, scattering debris across
the factory floor and onto the
street. Large metal components
of the boiler landed as far as 50
metres from where the explosion
occurred.
It may be worth noting that
the factory is not listed with
the Garment Manufacturers
Association in Cambodia
(GMAC) and is likely a
subcontractor – a sector of
the industry that represents a
significant regulatory gap.
The latest explosion was
followed by a recent incident
that happened in a garment
factory that cost the life of one
and wounded seven. The factory
makes clothes for Levi Strauss
and Dutch retailer C&A.