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Buyers Pulled Orders When Migrant Burmese Garment Workers Spoke Out in Defense of Their Rights, Now They Are Making Workers Whole
Despite the inclusion of nondiscrimination protections based on nationality in Thai labor law, Mae Sot is known as a black hole of labor abuse for the many Burmese migrant workers who produce apparel there. Burmese workers in Mae Sot face a range of workplace violations that often go unreported and uncorrected due to their status as migrants. In 2019, the minimum wage for garment workers in Mae Sot was 310 Thai baht (US$10.15)1, but most migrant workers were paid well below that rate. In addition, Burmese workers face poor factory conditions, uncompensated overtime, and are not provided a weekly day off to rest. Since migrant workers can find better employment opportunities in Thailand and are able to send money to their families, they are hesitant to speak out against poor treatment. Factory owners further exploit migrant workers2 by offering short-term contracts that can easily be terminated or not renewed if workers advocate for themselves. In the Worker Rights Consortium’s recent investigation of the Kanlayani factory,3 the troubling labor dynamics for Burmese workers in Mae Sot were on full display with negative consequences for the workers involved.