CNI News
10 December 2023
The Directorate of Labor has sent a notification to the overseas employment agencies dated 5th December that the agencies would need to exhort expatriate Myanmar workers to remit 25 percent of their salaries to their families in Myanmar.
The agencies must carry out instruction and completion conditions must be submitted together with evidence before 18th December and agencies that don't submit will be taken action against, said in the notification.
Because the phrase "to exhort" is included, there may be threats against Myanmar workers and there may be more difficulties. Moreover, There may be people who will be accepted themselves as illegal workers, Ko Naing Aung Aung, director of the Arakan Workers Organization, told CNI News.
While seeing the office of the department of immigration
" If the government puts pressure on the agencies, the agencies will put pressure on the workers. And then, the number of illegal workers may increase. The agencies can pressure Myanmar workers in some country such as South Korea and Singapore. But it is less likely to succeed in the counties where most of Myanmar workers are working. It may be difficult for the agencies but more difficult for the workers. The workers might cancel the MoU and choose other methods. Later, the workers may choose illegal channels through brokers." said Ko Naing Aung Aung.
Signing standard contract between the agencies and the workers has been carried out since 1st September. According to the contract, workers working abroad must remit 25 percent of their salaries to their families in Myanmar.
The workers abroad must remit 25 percent at least once a month and at most every three months.
While seeing a glove factory
At present, it has been 3 months, the directorate has pushed the agencies to implement the contract.
" Agencies are different from one another. You have to walk on your own way. It's not difficult to go to Thailand. But it's a bit difficult to go to Malaysia. Agencies must comply with the instructions." said U Win Myint, managing director of Lucky Overseas Employment Agency, told CNI News.
According to the Ministry of Labor's statement, the number of licensed overseas employment agencies has been 506. But there were about 300 licensed agencies in 2021.
