Over five-hundred Burmese female workers at a Chinese textile company in Jordan refused to work for the sixth consecutive day, demanding life insurance from the company after a clash broke out with Bangladeshi workers last week.
Burmese workers at Century Miracle Ltd. in Ar Ramtha said they feel insecure and demand life insurance following an incident on January 5th when a clash broke out between a Burmese woman and a Bangladeshi male co-worker.
The Burmese women workers claim Aye Myat Sandar was physically assaulted by the Bangladeshi worker, an allegation denied by company officials.
A Burmese woman said that following the assault on Sandar, other Bangladeshi workers attacked Burmese workers, injuring at least 20.
But Nayef Obeidat, the Administrative Manager of the company, on Monday told Mizzima that it was Sandar who started the problem by first attacking the Bangladeshi worker.
“We took witness statements from other nationalities. We have Chinese, Sri Lankan and Jordanian employees. What we hear from the witnesses is that the Burmese girl started the problem. She started throwing things at the Bengali. Then the Bengali reacted,” Nayef Obeidat said.
“Later on all the Burmese started throwing scissors and everything at the Bengalis. Then the Bengalis started reacting,” he explained, adding that a few Burmese sustained minor injuries and are receiving treatment along with five Bengalis who also sustained minor injuries.
Obeidat said the company’s management board is considering repatriating the Bengali and Burmese workers to their respective counties, as negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict continue.
“We are trying to solve the problem in a peaceful and delicate way,” he said.
But a Burmese woman worker, on condition of anonymity, told Mizzima on Monday that the statement by the company is based on false testimony and that they dare not return to work due to the fear of more attacks by fellow Bengali workers.
According to her, on January 5th Sandar was slapped three times by a Bengali co-worker after complaining of working among the Bengalis.
Following the commotion, curious Burmese co-workers rushed to the scene, only to be attacked by other Bengalis.
“The problem began with the slapping of Aye Myat Sandar by the Bengali worker,” the female worker said. “She was slapped when she said that she was unhappy working among Bengalis and would like to shift to the Burmese workers line.”
“If Chinese and Jordanian staff did not come to intervene, I think we all would have been killed,” said the Burmese woman, adding that they were attacked by over a hundred Bengali workers with belts, spindles, chairs and broken tube lights.
The Burmese workers have decided not to return to work until the company fulfils their demands of providing life insurance, compensation to the insulted Burmese girl and the withdrawing of a fine imposed on Burmese workers who have refused to work for the last six days.
“We are all afraid of going out and to our workplace. We need life insurance and other safety conditions from the company,” she said.
But Obeidat said, “We don’t have life insurance, only accident insurance for all the workers in our factory.”
He said the company is meeting with worker representatives and also with the Jordanian Labor Ministry to solve the problem. Obeidat added that he had assured Burmese workers of their security.
There are a total of 580 Burmese women workers at the CM Textile Company, placed through the Si Sein Thit Labor Agency in Rangoon.
An official at Si Sein Thit told Mizzima they are aware of the problem between Burmese and Bengali workers in Jordan and are involved in negotiating the matter.
The company said a meeting to discuss the altercation is scheduled for Monday evening and is to include Burmese workers, labor agents and the Jordanian Labor Ministry.
