the acitvit of burmese worker

Activities

The YCOWA’s activities include:

· Working in collaboration with Lawyer Council of Thailand and MAP Foundation to assist 732 workers in 11 cases both at the Thai Government Labour Protection and Welfare Office and Labour Tribunal Courts to pursue justice for exploitative working conditions

· Providing advice and counseling to Burmese migrant workers on their difficulties related to employment

· Organizing workshops and trainings on labour rights, human rights and democracy

· Providing training on organizational development, community-organizing skills and vocational skills

· Organizing roundtable discussion on political and social issues among Burmese migrant workers

· Assisting workers find jobs

· Coordinating with Thai legal NGOs to provide legal assistance to workers who have suffered accidents on the job, being denied their salaries, or being subjected to other abuses

· Providing temporary shelter to workers who have lost their jobs, or are ill, to victims of sexual assault and to pregnant women

· Coordinating social and religious events of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand

· Publishing “Yaung Chi Oo Labor Affair Journal” in Burmese monthly

· Networking and regular communication with both YCOWA branches and associated workers’ groups across Thailand

· Representing workers in negotiation with employers

During the past seven years since its existence, the YCOWA has accomplished the followings:

· The YCOWA provided assistance to a female worker from Chow Knitting Factory (CKI), who was raped by a Thai Border Patrol Police officer in May 2003. She filed a lawsuit to seek justice and later, she agreed to settle with compensation of 50,000 Baht, and the perpetrator (a police officer) publicly admitted his cruelty. The YCOWA helped her safe return to Burma.

· In 2002, the YCOWA helped to find 3 Burmese girls from Thathon whose families lost contact with them for a year. In fact, they were arrested by a Thai police and forced to work for the police relative’s house as domestic workers. With the YCOWA help, they were released and reunion with their family members in Mae Sod.

· In 2002, the YCOWA rescued two Burmese domestic female workers from the hands of employer. These two girls were forced to work without paid. The YCOWA could manage to take them out and negotiated to get them remuneration.

· In September 2002, the YCOWA set up a self-financed clinic in Mae Sod with one doctor and two medics, which provided free medical and health care services to Burmese migrant workers.

· In 2002, the YCOWA set up a safe house in Mae Sod and since then, it has provided temporary shelters and food to migrant workers in trouble and under the process of court cases.

· In 2003, 150 Burmese female workers of Value Trend Factory were forced to leave from their jobs after they had a conflict with the factory owner when they were asked to work for overtime with paid. The YCOWA in coordination with Thai Labour office of Tak Province and Law Society of Thailand assisted the workers to fight for their rights against the employer in accordance with Thai legal procedures. The YCOWA provided counseling and legal advice for their negotiation with the employer. As a result, compensation of 5,000 Baht for each worker and re-employment with the wage of 133 Baht was agreed by the factory owner.

· In September 2003, Thandar Hlaing, a Burmese girl who was working at the Ki Fong factory was raped and killed. The YCOWA coordinated workers from 30 factories in Mae Sod and organized her funeral. The YCOWA tried to collect evidences for revelation of the truth in order to push the Thai authorities to take legal action against the criminal for the justice of her.

· In 2004, the YCOWA run a programme of mobile clinic providing door-to-door medical and health care services for workers at the factories, dormitories, worksites and agricultural farms.

· In 2004, the YCOWA rescued 3 Burmese girls who were victims of human trafficking, and arranged return back to their parents in Burma.

· In 2004, the YCOWA in coordination with the MAP Foundation and the Lawyer Council of Thailand assisted 34 workers in the legal fight for their remuneration against the employer of Nut Knitting factory. At the end of more-than-a year-long process of trial, 18 workers who kept their fight at the court won the case and 70,000 Baht each received from the factory owner. During the trial, the YCOWA provided the workers with shelters, food, counseling and legal advice. Most importantly, the YCOWA members encourage them with moral support for their fight.

· In December 2003, there was a worker strike at the Nasawat factory and strikers were fired from jobs. In this case, the YCOWA in coordination with the MAP Foundation and the Lawyer Council of Thailand provided assistance to workers to file a case at the Thai Labour Protection and Welfare Office to make a verdict for their remuneration from the employer. At the end, the workers won the case.

· In 2004, a Burmese girl working at the Noodle-Soup Shop asked the YCOWA’s help for her claim of un-paid salary for three months from her employer. With the assistance of YCOWA, she filed a case at the labour office and at the end she received 12,000 Baht for her three month salary.

· In October 2004, the YCOWA in coordination with the MAP Foundation and the Lawyer Council of Thailand assisted 8 workers of Seint-heng factory in Mae Sod to receive their remuneration for 4-month salary and migrant worker ID cards from their employer.

· The YCOWA has successfully organized the following training and workshop programmes during seven years of its existence.

- 7 trainings on labour rights and Thai laws that produced 150 workers with knowledge on labour rights and Thai laws

- 7 trainings on Human rights and Democracy that produced 150 workers with basic understanding on human rights and democracy

- 5 workshops on migrant rights

- 60 roundtable discussions on social lives of workers and their daily-difficulties

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