Junta attempts to revive outdated Labour Ministry

by Ni Moe Myint
Tuesday, 22 September 2009 21:41

Rangoon (Mizzima) – It has become mandatory for factories and business establishments to recruit and hire employees they need through their respective township labour offices, under the Ministry of Labour, as of now.

In a meeting between Deputy Minister of Labour, Aung Kyi, and employers under the 'Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry' (UMFCCI), the Deputy Minister informed them about the labour regulation of hiring workforce and signing of an employment contract by both the employer and the employee.

"We were told to hire labour through township labour offices and had to submit the bio-data of our employees, to the labour office too. Then we had to sign an employment contract as well," a factory owner, from Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone, who met the Deputy Minister told Mizzima.

The Ministry has also instructed all township labour offices to conduct surprise checks on the factories and other business establishments.

Beginning earlier this month, the Deputy Minister of the Labour Ministry had met employers and employees from Rangoon’s Industrial Zones, the responsible people from UMFCCI, township labour office staff and had instructed all of them to implement this regulation.

"It is believed that it is being implemented by the order of the Senior General. The labour offices must get involved in all labour related issues, such as placement, intervening in trade dispute between employer and employees. The township labour officers, who cannot implement it, would be either transferred or dismissed from their posts," a township labour office officer, who met the Deputy Minister, said.

An officer from the Township Labour Office said that it was an attempt to revive the long lost role of the Labour Ministry.

When contacted, a Ministry of Labour staff in Naypyidaw said about the new labour regulation, "It is published in the daily papers. We are not authorized to answer this question."

In practice, it has been learnt that no employer or employee have contacted the labour offices for both recruitment and finding jobs.

"We are just issuing labour registration cards, when the job seekers come and ask for it. No job seeker has contacted us yet for this purpose. And also no employers have contacted us for recruiting their employees," an officer from the Labour Department said.

When questioned, some workers from the Industrial Zones said that they did not know about the registration at township labour offices for placement.

"When I applied for a job at this factory, I had to visit a labour office for labour registration card, as it was the required document besides the national ID and recommendation letter from our local authority. We knew it. No one told us that the job seekers could go to these labour offices for job placement. We got to know about it only today, when we met the officials from the Labour Ministry," a female worker, from a garment factory at Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone, who met the minister, said.