Labour rights legal centre encourages more Arakan State workers to consider it an ally

By DMG 05 May 2022

DMG Newsroom
5 May 2022, Sittwe 

A labour centre set up by Legal Clinic (Myanmar) in the Arakan State capital Sittwe to provide legal assistance for workers has only received eight complaints since it was established in March, said lawyer Daw Mya Thuzar, who is in charge of the Arakan State operations. 

Four complaints involved cases that happened abroad. In one of those cases, an undocumented worker was arrested by police in Thailand, and in another, compensation was not given for a slain, legal migrant worker, also in Thailand. Two complaints are related to cases that happened in Arakan State, with the others occurring elsewhere in Myanmar. 

“People must have courage to file a complaint if their rights are violated. I urge them to come to the centre and file a complaint with us so that we can help them solve their problems. Every problem has a solution. Only when they dare to complain, when their rights are violated, will they be able to enjoy their rights in the future,” she said. 

The office is currently conducting training on workplace issues in 14 townships across Arakan State in order to promote labour rights. In Arakan State, where jobs are scarce, workers too often dare not file complaints about rights abuses for fear that they might be sacked, Daw Mya Thuzar emphasised. 

“We are constantly conducting training to make them aware that they have legal protections. We have formed two 10-member monitoring groups that monitor labour rights violations in northern and southern Arakan State,” she said. 

The Legal Clinic (Myanmar) opened its labour affairs centre in Sittwe on March 18.