May Day in Myanmar

The following statement was released by the Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM) to commemorate May Day this year.

Cover: via https://crimethinc.com/2026/02/10/five-years-of-coup-burmese-anarchists-within-and-without-the-revolution-an-interview

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Global May Day || On this 136th International Workers’ Day, the Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM) pledges to strive toward achieving democracy in our country and the formation of workers-led labor unions in the workplaces.

More than 130 years ago, workers’ fight for the right to “8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, and 8 hours of leisure” still remains a struggle for factory workers in Myanmar today. Under various forms of oppression from employers and the state, workers must labor for more than 12 hours a day just to survive. Furthermore, current daily wages are insufficient to cover the costs of living due to skyrocketing commodity prices.

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Anarchism in Myanmar:
https://libcom.org/article/anarchists-struggle-burma
https://libcom.org/article/introduction-anarchism-myanmar
https://libcom.org/article/conversation-lifelong-anarchist-burma-bro-y-just-beginning
https://crimethinc.com/2026/02/10/five-years-of-coup-burmese-anarchists-within-and-without-the-revolution-an-interview

Myanmar’s industrial zones, which remain under military rule, have become primary sites for systemic exploitation and oppression. Employers systematically enforce forced labor, utilize child labor, and crush attempts to organize workplace labor unions. In addition, they divide the workforce through various means, exploiting legal loopholes to form employer-led labor organizations (yellow unions) as a tool for suppression.

The arrest, killing, and targeted discrimination against Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) workers and labor leaders who resisted the military dictatorship continue. Following the enactment of the conscription law in 2024, adult male and female workers have been forced to abandon their workplaces and flee abroad to work in hazardous environments without protection or guarantees. There, they face oppression from host governments and employers, while the military council in Myanmar pressures their families, threatens them, and forcibly collects taxes on their overseas wages. We believe that liberation from these multifaceted forms of oppression is only possible by overthrowing the (military) dictatorship once and for all. The FGWM honors the 136th International Workers’ Day by pledging to strive for labor solidarity—locally and internationally—and for the attainment of democracy in our country.

Oppressed people, unite! Rise if oppressed, fight if suppressed! Workers of the world, unite!

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Demands for the 136th International Workers’ Day

The Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM) hereby demands:

Demands to factory and workshop owners profiting from the labor of workers:

1. To provide a living minimum wage of 20,000 MMK for an 8-hour workday (excluding overtime).

2. To ensure adequate healthcare and implement safety measures within the workplace.

3. To immediately stop forced labor (forced overtime without consent), direct instruction by foreigners, physical abuse, and sexual harassment against women in the workplace.

4. To provide free sanitary pads for female workers in the workplace and to waive production quotas for workers during pregnancy and menstruation.

5. To immediately stop the luring of women with financial incentives for (marriage) to China and all forms of human trafficking.

6. To stop forming “Yellow Unions” that do not represent workers, to stop forcing unions to register with the military puppet’s Ministry of Labor, to stop the disclosure of workers’ personal data to the military council, and to halt the surveillance of labor union activities through CCTV.

Demands to International Brands, who accumulates the most profit from the exploitation of labor at your supplier factories:

7. To take effective responsibility and accountability for workplace violations committed by owners of direct or subcontracted factories manufacturing your purchase orders.

8. To collaborate with employers of your supplier factories to ensure workers receive a living minimum wage of 20,000 MMK for an 8-hour workday (excluding overtime) and to not turn a blind eye to factories violating labor and human rights. We demand you to take accountability through practical action to fulfill these demands.

Demands to International Labor Rights, Human Rights Organizations, and Political Forces:

9. To put effective pressure on the military dictator to stop the forced registration, portaging and conscription of industrial zone workers and the returning migrant workers. Additionally, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all unjustly detained labor leaders.

10. To support the local and migrant workers for their rights to form independent, worker-led unions and workplace safety in accordance with respective labor laws.

11. To support civil servants who joined the CDM and to assist in strengthening the public service unions.

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