The illusion of a living wage in Myanmar’s factories

This article by Zung Ring was originally published on May 27, 2025, on The Irrawaddy, an independent news website in Myanmar that has been exiled in Thailand since the military coup in 2021. An edited version is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement. Please note that the currency conversions used here are based on rates available online.

Workers from the Tsang Yih Shoe Factory in Yangon, which produces Adidas-branded footwear, began a sit-in strike on May 14 to demand better wages.

The workers, mostly young women, risked not only their jobs but their personal safety to demand a modest increase in daily wages from 6,700 kyats (2 USD) to 12,000 kyats (5 USD).

After a weeklong protest, the employer agreed to meet their demand for a daily wage of 12,000 kyats for an eight-hour workday. But only 600 kyats was actually added to their basic pay, which rose from 5,200 kyats to 5,800, while the rest is billed as “allowances.”