Know Your Legal Right to Refuse Unsafe Work in Myanmar
Ko Thiha is 28 years old and works at a construction materials warehouse near Insein. Last hot season, his supervisor told the team to move chemical drums from a delivery truck into storage without gloves or masks. The drums had no Myanmar-language labels — only Chinese text. Ko Thiha felt dizzy after the first hour. He wanted to stop but he thought: if I refuse, I will be fired during probation. His coworker Ma Su told him the same thing — just finish it, do not make trouble. Ko Thiha kept working. By evening he had chemical burns on both hands. He went to a clinic and paid 45,000 kyat from his own pocket. When he asked his employer to cover it, the supervisor said it was Ko Thiha's fault for not being careful. Ko Thiha did not know that Myanmar's 2013 Factories Act requires employers to provide protective equipment for hazardous materials. He did not know that under Social Security Board rules, his medical costs should have been covered. He suffered because he did not know his rights — and his employer counted on that ignorance.
Ko Thiha is 28 years old and works at a construction materials warehouse near Insein. Last hot season, his supervisor told the team to move chemical drums from a delivery truck into storage without gloves or masks. The drums had no Myanmar-language labels — only Chinese text. Ko Thiha felt dizzy after the first hour. He wanted to stop but he thought: if I refuse, I will be fired during probation. His coworker Ma Su told him the same thing — just finish it, do not make trouble. Ko Thiha kept working. By evening he had chemical burns on both hands. He went to a clinic and paid 45,000 kyat from his own pocket. When he asked his employer to cover it, the supervisor said it was Ko Thiha's fault for not being careful. Ko Thiha did not know that Myanmar's 2013 Factories Act requires employers to provide protective equipment for hazardous materials. He did not know that under Social Security Board rules, his medical costs should have been covered. He suffered because he did not know his rights — and his employer counted on that ignorance.
In Myanmar, the workers most likely to be exploited on safety are not the weakest — they are the ones who do not know the law exists to protect them.
State 3 specific legal protections Myanmar workers have regarding workplace safety under the 2013 Factories Act and Social Security Board regulations without referring to notes
Compose a 4-sentence verbal script in Myanmar for respectfully raising a safety concern with a supervisor that references the legal obligation without threatening or accusing
Calculate whether your current employer is meeting the SSB contribution requirement of 3 percent employer and 2 percent employee by examining your pay slip or pay record
In Myanmar, the workers most likely to be exploited on safety are not the weakest — they are the ones who do not know the law exists to protect them.
State 3 specific legal protections Myanmar workers have regarding workplace safety under the 2013 Factories Act and Social Security Board regulations without referring to notes
Compose a 4-sentence verbal script in Myanmar for respectfully raising a safety concern with a supervisor that references the legal obligation without threatening or accusing
Calculate whether your current employer is meeting the SSB contribution requirement of 3 percent employer and 2 percent employee by examining your pay slip or pay record
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