Mawlamyine, April (28)
Overseas employment agencies whose licenses were temporarily suspended and later reinstated by the junta’s Ministry of Labor include agencies that violated contract terms, sources who are assisting labor affairs told Than Lwin Times.
In January, the junta’s Ministry of Labor suspended the licenses of 133 employment agencies that were sending workers from Myanmar to Thailand under the MOU system, citing that they did not meet the requirements of the department.
But in the last week of April, the Ministry of Labor announced that these agencies were again allowed to post new job postings.
Of the 133 agencies eased from license revocation, 16 have violated contract terms, and some Myanmar MOU workers they sent to Thailand have been fired.
Ko Ye Min, who is assisting labor affairs, told Than Lwin Times that some of the agencies whose business licenses were reinstated by the military council had violated the terms of the contract, so the workers who will be sent back to Thailand may suffer damages.
“Thailand fired more than a thousand Myanmar workers who were sent under the MOU system. After we negotiated, it was okay for some workers. Hundreds of workers who came through the MOU system were fired within 6–7 months. This means that there will not be proper job opportunities for future workers, and the workers are being forced to go to Thailand,” said Ko Ye Min, manager of the MHAC (Myanmar Humanitarian Action Center) group that assists workers, told Than Lwin Times.
According to the military council, 16 of the 133 agencies that have been eased from the revocation of their business licenses will be able to advertise job offers as before and sign new contracts starting May 2.
However, the remaining 117 overseas employment agencies are only able to provide services for 100 workers while signing contracts for new recruitments, according to sources at the agencies.
Some foreign employment agencies applied for passports for MOU workers in Myawaddy, and the Military Council’s Ministry of Home Affairs blacklisted them in January, but this was lifted three months later.
The military council’s Ministry of Labor reported a surge in applications for overseas employment agency licenses last year, with over 100 new agencies.
According to the junta’s Ministry of Labor, there were 343 overseas employment agencies, including more than 200 existing agencies.
News- Than Lwin Times
Photo – EPA
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