RESISTANCE TO THE COUP – TWO YEARS ON

1st February 2023 marks the second anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar. Despite the killings and the arrests the struggle against the murderous regime continues.

 GWS and No Sweat as co-ordinators of the Myanmar Military: Never in Fashion campaign call on all endorsers to raise their voice against the killings, rape and torture committed by the military since the coup, and stand with the Myanmar Labour Alliance in its calls for international fashion brands to end production and make a responsible exit.
Since last year, we have been campaigning with trade unionists in Myanmar in their call for international brands and retailers to urgently take action:
  1. Withdraw from Myanmar to put pressure on the military dictatorship to step down.
  2. When withdrawing, consult with Myanmar’s trade unions and develop an exit plan to ensure transparency and due compensation is paid to all workers, and contribute humanitarian aid to the workers and people of Myanmar.
  3. Publicly join the international condemnation of the military coup in Myanmar and call for democracy to be restored. Actively support the Civil Disobedience Movement, trade unions and the National Unity Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (NUG) in their efforts to stop this brutal military dictatorship.
The international campaign has had a number of victories:
M&S and Primark have announced their withdrawal from Myanmar.
The Ethical Trading Initiative published a report on responsible business in the garment sector in Myanmar . The report outlines how:
I. The state’s duty to protect human rights is not being met;
II. The corporate responsibility to respect human rights is significantly restricted.
III. Access to remedy is severely constrained.
The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre published a Myanmar allegations tracker on their website that is listing the cases of abuse garment workers have faced since the coup and the brands they produce for. 
The industry agreement – known as Action, Collaboration, Transformation (ACT) – that commits to ensuring the local factories producing their goods uphold workers’ rights to a living wage, collective bargaining, safety and other guidelines for termination and compensation, ended operations in Myanmar, but many brands that have signed the agreement are still sourcing from Myanmar. 

We still need to keep up the pressure on brands that continue to profit from the situation in Myanmar. Please still write to H&M, Zara and others by using this template letter on our website