Press Release: Over 1000 Workers Continue the 3rd Day of

Strike at Fishing Net Factory, MAP Foundation

10th September 2010

Press Release: Over 1000 Workers Continue the 3rd Day of Strike at Fishing Net
Factory

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.

Over 1,000 Burmese workers in the factory have been out on strike since
September 8th in support of these six workers and to negotiate other long term
grievances. The workers have four major demands:

1. For the visas of the six workers to be re-instated and for their Overseas Workers
ID cards to be verified.

2. For all workers to have possession over their personal documents, including
passports, Overseas Workers ID cards and work permits, as is required by law.

3. For the shops in their labour camp to be re-opened.

4. Proper payment of the minimum wage and overtime in compliance with the
labour laws. An immediate end to the system of bonded labour (working for one and
a half hours free each day for a year).

The workers have been unable to meet the employer to negotiate their demands. At
a meeting held between the Labour Protection Office, the employer and the
immigration and MAP, the demands of the workers were presented but no
agreements were reached. The employer insisted that the immigration authorities
had cancelled the workers visas and they were therefore unable to work and must
be deported. In actual fact, in order for immigration to cancel a visa, the employer
must inform the Labour Protection Office which must then officially inform the
immigration department. Any cancellation must include a reason and the signature
of the authorizing officer. In this case, only the word “cancel” was written next to the
two year visa.

Regarding the second demand, the employer tried to justify the act of illegally
confiscating personal documents by saying that the workers might otherwise leave
before they had paid off their debt, thus endorsing a system of debt bondage. He
also said that it was easier for the employer to arrange the 90 day regulation,
requiring all migrants to report to immigration authorities every 90 days. In a
meeting earlier in the day with the local Department of Employment, they had also
given the same explanation despite the confiscation of personal documents being
an illegal act.

Regarding the third demand, the employer insisted that the workers received more
than the minimum wage and claimed not to be aware of the work for free passport
payment system. While the workers claimed that they receive only 140 baht a day
(minimum wage in Khon Kaen is 157 baht), work for one and a half hours for free,
then receive overtime payment of 30 baht an hour.

Over 1,000 workers continue to strike for their demands to be answered. They
understand that an official from the Burmese embassy is on their way to Khon
Kaen, but it is not yet known whether this official will assist in negotiating for the
rights of the workers or if he will conduct the deportation of the workers. MAP
Foundation has made an official request to the Committee on the Administration of
Irregular Workers, Ministry of Labour, Thailand to ensure that the migrant workers
are not unlawfully deported and that their case is investigated, particularly with
reference to the unauthorized cancellation of their visas and the tampering of their
overseas identification Cards of the workers.

MAP Foundation is concerned for the safety of all the workers in the Deepanachit
Fishing Net Factory and in particular for the safety of the six leaders. The
regularization of migrants through the issuing of passports and visas should provide
protection to workers, but it appears to be used as a method of control and further
exploitation. The workers have the right to strike and the right to have their
grievances heard, the Ministry of Labour should be actively working to ensure that
this right is being adhered to throughout Thailand.

For further information please contact:

Suriya (Thai): 0897581850 Mai Mai (Burmese): 0856159653

Reena (English): 0828955480

MAP Foundation Chiang Mai, Thailand