Day 3: Burmese Workers on Strike in Khon Kaen
I didn’t have a chance to post on the strike over the past couple of days, but now MAP Foundation has released a press release updating the situation - workers from Burma, many with temporary passports, are still on strike. The threat of deportation looms, as endorsed by the employer, the Labour Protection Office, and the Department of Employment.
Here is the opening paragraph:
‘Holding a temporary passport has given no protection of the rights of Burmese workers at the Dechapanich Fishing Net Factory in Khon Kaen. The workers have to work one and a half hours free every day from 5.00pm to 6.30pm to pay off the cost of the passport and are not allowed to maintain possession of their passports. When six workers were fired for taking more than three days leave a month, they demanded the return of their personal documents, and found that the word “cancel” had been casually written next to their visa. In addition, their Overseas Workers Identification Card, issued by Ministry of Labour, Union of Myanmar, had clearly been tampered with as the photos and information were non-matching and the stamps were not continuously drawn. They are now facing imminent deportation, endorsed by the employer, the Labour Protection Office and the Department of Employment.’
See the link above for the full text of the statement, including the workers’ demands.
