Several South Korean garment manufacturers operating in Myanmar are reportedly defied the established labour laws by not adhering to the overtime rules.
According to a report released on March 25 by Action Labor Rights, an advocacy group in Myanmar, almost 30 per cent of factories wholly or jointly run by Korean firms regularly violate labour law, including a 16-hour weekly limit on overtime.
Out of the 1,200 employees working in 39 factories who were interviewed for the purpose of the report, 62 per cent reported not being able to refuse work beyond the legal time limit, while 63 per cent said they did not earn enough to have a decent life. In addition, 15 per cent workers said they had worked extra hours without compensation. Meanwhile, 30 per cent of the workers claimed that they received payslips written only in Korean or English, which is again in violation of the law. Only 22 per cent stated that they have been able to take advantage of their legal entitlement to 30 days’ medical leave. To add to this already poor situation, only 67 per cent of these factories have legally-required emergency exits, a quarter of which were inaccessible.
The study has also claimed that child labour is “prevalent” in South Korean garment factories in Myanmar, but no figures are available on this, since most workers don’t speak up for fear of losing their job.
“Children are given tasks like ironing and stretching, using heavy weights,” an anonymous worker was quoted in the report. “If they know how to sew, they are asked to sew. Sometimes they are physically abused by supervisors or shift leaders if they make some mistakes. But nobody interferes.”
“The data gathered in this survey demonstrated that while some parts of the Korean garment industry in Myanmar are compliant with the majority of Myanmar labor laws, an alarming number are in regular breach particularly concerning excessive overtime, illegal deductions, and factory working conditions including health and safety, and harassment,” the report stated.
The Korean firms surveyed included Daesung Garment and Process, World Jin Garment and Shin Sung Bago. The report, however, does not specifically mention the names of firms that were found to violate labour laws.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
