Myanmar’s garment workers resume work after ending 72-day strike

More than 300 garment workers in Myanmar are resuming work after ending a 72-day strike, in which 30 workers were sacked without notice.

The strike started on August 21 after the Chinese-owned Fu Yuen Garment Factory in Yangon fired 30 union members “for allegedly violating company rules and slowing production.” The workers claimed they were only demanding better work conditions and putting an end to mistreatment by factory owners.

The factory’s management and the more than 300 strikers have now signed an agreement that they will only be paid once they go back to work peacefully and signed employment contracts on November 6.

Located on the outskirts of the commercial capital of Yangon, the Fu Yuen Garment Factory opened in 2014 and employs more than 1,400 workers.