Workers, families deprived of compensation after deaths, injuries in Myanmar earthquake

More than five weeks after the death or injury of nearly 200 Mandalay Region workers in Myanmar’s March 28 earthquake, survivors and relatives have not received due compensation, according to a Myanmar labour federation. A spokesperson for the All Burma Federation of Trade Unions (ABFTU) told Myanmar Now that 31 workers had been killed and 154 injured in the disaster at various production facilities including J.L.P.C. plywood factory in Sintgaing Township, the MaMa Noodle Factory and E.A.P.C soft drink factory in Paleik, and at the Yathar Kaung candy factory and Sweety Home Mattress Factory in Pyigyitagon Township. The factories closed soon after the earthquake, he explained, and the employees who were on the job when the earthquake hit are not only still awaiting the full compensation due to them but also have yet to receive information as to whether they will still have jobs at those factories. “Factories with fewer deaths have provided some compassion payments,” the ABFTU spokesperson said. “However, they have not paid the medical expenses of those who were injured. Families have to cover those costs themselves.” “Since the factories suspended operations, workers have returned to their hometowns,” he added. “All they’ve been told is that they'll be contacted when the factories reopen, so they’re worried about whether they’ll get their jobs back.” Around 10 ABFTU members were among the workers in those five Mandalay Region factories who died, and around 30 were among the injured. These workers have effectively received no assistance from their employers, according to an official from the Myanmar Industries Craft & Services Trade Unions Federation (MICS-TUsF). "They haven’t clearly stated how they plan to handle the situation,” the labour federation official said, referring to the employers. Owners of factories with a death toll and high number of injuries among their workers have shown reluctance to pay out sufficient compensation, according to the MICS-TUsF official. They have also failed to pay the full amounts of social security and health insurance contributions required by labor laws and have been evasive about disclosing the number of casualties from the disaster, he said. Under the junta, trade unions have faced obstacles in tracking information about workers who were killed or injured in the earthquake, the MICS-TUsF official continued, and it is important for employers as well as the Mandalay Industrial Zone Management Committee to exercise transparency and disclose all the information available to them. A Yangon garment factory in 2020 (Photo: AFP) Owners and employers at a collapsed factory in Mandalay Region reportedly barred labour organisations and social relief groups from assisting with rescues, preferring instead to conduct their own emergency and clearance operations, labour groups said. Workers’ unions are now cooperating to obtain accurate lists of the factories damaged and destroyed and, even more importantly, the workers injured and killed in Sagaing and Mandalay, the cities that bore the brunt of the earthquake’s impact. According to figures released by the military regime on Sunday, the confirmed death toll from the magnitude-7.7 quake stands at 3,785. There were also 5,105 confirmed injuries and 92 people reported missing, according to the junta, with Mandalay suffering the greatest number of casualties. As well as not receiving reassurances about continuing their jobs at damaged factories, nor any information about getting paid while the factories are closed, some have not even received their wages for March, according to Ei, an official at the Federation of General Workers Myanmar. “We suspect these factories won’t operate in Mandalay anymore. They may relocate elsewhere because they want to avoid paying compensation and taking responsibility for their employees,” Ei said. Arrests of labour organisers and activists, low wages, and the frequent violation of labour rights have plagued Myanmar’s workers under military rule. In addition to direct repression, the scarcity of job opportunities as well as the risk of conscription for mandatory military service since last year have induced many Myanmar workers to move out of the country any way they can, leaving the country’s manufacturing with too small of a workforce to operate efficiently.

Workers, families deprived of compensation after deaths, injuries in Myanmar earthquake

Labour organisations claim owners and managers are underestimating the casualties in their factories and relocating to dodge their responsibility to employees

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