Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 17 Viewpoint
MoeMaKa, May 18, 2025
Workers Among the Most Affected Since the Military Coup
Factory Protests in Yangon
In Hlaing Tharyar Township of Yangon, hundreds of workers at the Chang Yi shoe factory have been protesting for several days. They are demanding a daily wage increase from 5,200 kyats to 12,000 kyats. Although the junta has set a minimum wage at 6,800 kyats, it includes a 2,000 kyat allowance—making the base wage just 4,800 kyats. With soaring inflation and rising commodity prices, these wages are no longer enough to sustain basic living.
Wage Disparity and Inflation Impact
In Mandalay, even temporary laborers clearing earthquake rubble can earn 20,000 kyats per day, and semi-skilled workers like wall plasterers make around 30,000 kyats. In contrast, factory workers working 10 to 11 hours a day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. earn only 5,200 kyats. This wage gap reveals just how unsustainable factory pay has become.
Daily Living Costs and Wage Stagnation
Daily essentials like rice, oil, vegetables, and meat have skyrocketed due to inflation, import restrictions, war-related taxes, and extortion by armed groups. Yet workers’ wages have not increased accordingly. That’s why workers across various sectors are demanding fair wage adjustments.
Back when the USD-to-kyat exchange rate was 1,300–1,400 kyats per dollar, the minimum daily wage was 4,800 kyats. Now, the rate has surpassed 4,300–4,400 kyats, but the wages remain largely stagnant. The cost of living has risen dramatically, leaving many workers in a survival crisis.
Labor Rights Lost in Conflict
Since the 2021 coup, national attention has shifted to armed conflict, human rights abuses, arbitrary arrests, and displacement. As a result, labor rights and wage issues have taken a back seat, and no entity seems seriously interested in addressing them.
Exploitation in Industrial Zones
As the political crisis worsens and power becomes centralized in military hands, workers’ rights and wage justice have lost visibility. Industrial zones in Yangon, Bago, Mandalay, and Pathein are filled with CMP (Cut, Make, Pack) garment and footwear factories, many of which produce for export. These employ hundreds of thousands of workers.
From Stability to Crisis
Myanmar, with its low wages, has been a hub for garment sector investment. Prior to the coup, orders were steady, electricity was fairly reliable, and tax burdens were manageable. While wages weren’t ideal, workers had some degree of stability.
Since the coup, frequent power cuts and the withdrawal of international brands have hurt the sector. In response to falling profits, factory owners have tried to cut labor costs instead of absorbing losses. This is a problematic and unethical approach.
Profit Over People
In fragile states like Myanmar, investors are often attracted by the potential for high profit margins. But suppressing wages to boost profits is exploitative. Both local and foreign factory owners are benefitting from political and economic instability while workers are being pushed deeper into hardship.
Repression of Labor Organizing
The junta’s Ministry of Labor, meanwhile, has cracked down on labor unions and civil organizations. Any attempt to criticize or confront wage issues risks arrest or imprisonment. Labor rights groups now face constant surveillance and threats.
Migrant Workers at Risk
In today’s Myanmar—plagued by armed conflict and authoritarian rule—organizations willing to speak up for labor rights are becoming rare. Workers in Yangon’s industrial zones come not only from the city but also from regions like Ayeyarwady, Mandalay, Rakhine, Bago, and Sagaing. With war raging in many of those areas, if these workers lose even their daily factory jobs, returning home is no longer a viable option.
A Social and Humanitarian Crisis
The current situation is not just an economic crisis—it is a social and humanitarian crisis. Workers are paying the price, with no one to speak for them.