EssayMyanmarPhotos

Photo essay: Yangon’s port workers struggle to make ends meet amid soaring prices

The dock workers in Yangon’s ports often have few options for supporting their families as the cost of living rises besides low-paid, manual labour

Many people in Myanmar have taken up manual jobs to support their families amid rising living costs and soaring prices for essential goods, including those who earn just 230 kyat (US $0.06) for each bag of rice they unload from ships in Yangon’s port. 

While most of the port workers are young to middle-aged, there are older men among them for whom retirement is not an option. 

“I’ve been carrying loads since I was 17. My back and shoulders have gone completely numb… I wouldn’t even need anaesthesia,” a 55-year-old dockworker said. 

“I can’t afford to. . .

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