Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 01 Scenes
MoeMaKa, May 02 2023
World Labor Day and the loss of labor rights in Myanmar
May 1st is World Labor Day. During the Industrial Revolution era, with the rise of capitalism, capitalist entrepreneurs wanted to make as much profit as possible. And in order to collect capital for further investments, from the benefits obtained by the manufacturing industry, the workers were distributed the least, as the entrepreneurs, shareholders, and managers who invested the capital wanted to enjoy more benefits. The labor laws that encouraged this situation, capitalist governments, and in some cases socialist and communist authoritarian governments, allowed the minimum rights of workers and exploited them.
The industrial revolution is a progress in human history, but in the political administration of the industrial revolution, the result of the increase in productivity was mostly benefited by the capitalists, and the workers who had to put in the effort in this production power were only given the privilege of just only to be able to eat and work. So, May Day, when labor protests occurred, was designated as International Workers’ Day or World Labor Day.
It is generally defined that only the capitalists are the ones who block and limit the rights of workers, but if you look at the contemporary history that has passed, you will see that there are many people who have lost their rights under the leaders of some countries such as communists, socialists, and military dictators.
Under capitalism, entrepreneurs that invest in a business or company, which is called a political word, capitalist, and the managers of the company want to give as little labor rights as possible, and it depends on how much the governments of the countries recognize and protect labor rights under their laws. Capitalism can also emerge in countries ruled by political dictatorships. Demands for labor rights are restricted by dictatorial governments, and it is to benefit large, capital-intensive companies and cronies who are on good terms with dictators and who have priority rights.
As Myanmar refers to, it is included in the category of dictatorial countries. It is not a country where the capitalist system is fully developed and industrialization is widely developed, but it is a country where the rights of workers are limited by protecting the dictators and their allies in the capitalist system. It is a situation where the workers who work in industries such as garment making, workers who receive wages for domestic and foreign investment, and workers from businesses operated by local investors only for the domestic market, do not get the labor rights they deserve.
During the last 10 years before the military takeover, the right to form labor unions, the emergence of civil organizations working on labor issues, and the view of labor protests as labor rights without the shadow of politics were developments that had never been seen in the dictatorial era. After the coup, labor rights movements and demands were viewed as political movements, labor rights organizations were forced to flee abroad, and workers’ rights advocates were subjected to oppression and repression so that they could not speak out.
If you ask what the labor rights of Myanmar are losing, the first thing is the wage specification. Before the military coup, it was stipulated by the labor rights law that the salary should be reviewed every 2 years and amended if necessary.
From 2015 to 2018, the daily wage was set at 3,600 kyats, and from 2018 to now, it is at 4,800 kyats. Comparing the current wage set in 2018 and 2023, where there is inflation and an increased cost of living, it has increased several times.
Even if you compare 2020 and 2023, the value of the dollar has almost doubled, and the price of rice has risen more than 1.5 times. The exchange rate between the neighboring Thai baht and the Myanmar currency was only about 50 kyats per baht before the military coup, but now it has reached over 80 kyats. If you look at these figures, you will see that the daily minimum wage of 4,800 kyats for workers in Myanmar does not meet the rising cost of food, living expenses, and rent fees. However, labor rights demands and organizations working for labor rights are viewed through political lenses by the military authorities and are limited and oppressed, so they continue to work at very low daily wage rates.
It can be guessed that the investing companies and entrepreneurs are working to make up for the costs and losses due to the political consequences of the coup, including income, profit, an unstable exchange rate, and rising bribery after the coup, with the advantage of low labor wages.
It must be said that the loss of labor rights under the military dictatorship is a difficult situation to even disclose.