More than 80 Burmese migrant workers from a cosmetics factory in On Nut, Bangkok, reportedly staged a protest in front of their factory against the violation of their rights.
The protesters said JTV-Silver cosmetics charged them between 4,500 baht (Ks180,000) to 5,500 baht for a certificate of identification although the Thai government had fixed the price at 500-800 baht.
They claimed they were also charged 3,500 baht for a work permit despite an official charge of 1,500 baht. Moreover, they were not paid if they could not work after a worksite injury, the protesters said.
“To avoid paying tax, [the owners] did not disclose the actual workforce. If they have a 100-strong workforce, they only make a list of 50. When the labour department makes an inspection visit, 50 others are told not to come to work. Consequently, they will not be paid. If a material owned by the factory is damaged, most of our salary is cut. There are many cases of labour rights violations,” said a worker.
“Now, labour diplomat Aung Ko San has arrived and is negotiating with the factory owner. If we enjoy our rights fully, we will go back to work. If not, we will resign after asking for compensation,” he added.
Source: Eleven Myanmar
