You are using an outdated browser and your browsing experience will not be optimal. Please update to the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Install Microsoft Edge

March 31, 2020

COVID-19: Myanmar Delays Social Security Contributions and Issues Mandatory Factory and Workplace Measures

Subscribe to Updates

Delay in Social Security Contributions

On March 20, 2020, Myanmar’s Social Security Board announced that it will allow employers to make social security payments quarterly, instead of monthly, due to the hardship businesses are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will provide a degree of relief for employers, although the measures do not yet go as far as reducing the required social security contributions.

Workplace Requirements

On March 19, 2020, the Ministry of Health and Sports (MHS) issued the following instructions, with which all factories and workplaces must comply, to limit the spread of COVID-19.

 Employers and owners

  • Thermal scanners or infrared thermometers must be kept at every workplace. Employees should only be permitted to enter the workplace if they have a temperature lower than 38 degrees centigrade.
  • Every workplace must have sufficient handwashing or sanitizing facilities.
  • Posters about handwashing and sanitizing must be placed in the workplace.
  • Workers must work at least three feet apart.
  • Health knowledge should be shared by posters, electronic means, or small group education and not by gathering together large groups of workers.
  • All instructions, notifications, and information from the MHS must be strictly complied with, including information on the MHS website and Facebook page.
  • Spreading of fake news among staff must be monitored and stopped.

Employees

  • Avoid crowded places as much as possible.
  • If an employee develops any symptoms, such as a fever of 38 degrees or above, cough, difficulty in breathing, or fatigue, they should avoid contact with people as much as possible, not go to work, and contact the health authorities.
  • Monitor symptoms among other employees and inform supervisors if they occur.
  • Wash hands frequently, avoid touching the face without washing hands, eat nutritious food, and have enough sleep.

Supervisors

  • Teach employees about systematic hand washing and monitor to ensure they follow instructions.
  • Always monitor symptoms among employees and refer the employee to health authorities at the first sign of any symptoms.

For more information on these measures, or any aspect of doing business in Myanmar, please contact [email protected]. 

Related Professionals

Practices

Employment

Location

RELATED INSIGHTS​ 

February 22, 2021
Following the recent imposition of sanctions on Myanmar individuals and companies by the US, the UK and Canada have now imposed new sanctions. As with the US sanctions, these new measures impact UK and Canadian citizens and companies, and non-UK and non-Canadian companies and citizens with interests in those jurisdictions. The EU has indicated that it is planning to issue similar sanctions in the near future. New UK Sanctions In addition to the 16 individuals already sanctioned by the UK government, on February 18, 2021, the UK government announced that three individuals have been sanctioned for serious human rights violations and are now subject to asset freezes and travel bans. The full list of Myanmar individuals and companies sanctioned by the UK is available on the website of the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. Breaches of UK financial sanctions are criminal offences punishable in the UK by up to 7 years imprisonment and heavy fines. New Canadian Sanctions Also on February 18, timed to coincide with the UK sanctions, new Canadian sanctions were imposed on nine individuals. As with the UK, Canada already had a number of individuals in the Myanmar military on its sanctions list, and the new additions bring the total number of individuals sanctioned by Canada to 54. All assets of these individuals in Canada are now frozen, and they are banned from travelling to Canada. Canadian businesses or entities may not do business with any of the 54 individuals. Full details of the impact of the sanctions are available on the Government of Canada’s website, as is a database of the Myanmar individuals and companies subject to them. Breach of Canadian sanctions carries with it up to 5 years’ imprisonment in Canada and/or a large fine. Other Countries The EU is reportedly drawing up sanctions
Read More
January 26, 2021
On January 1, 2021, the government of Vietnam issued Decree No. 152/2020/ND-CP dated December 30, 2020, providing guidance concerning foreigners working in Vietnam (Decree 152). Foreign investors and expatriates should be aware of some notable new points.
Read More
January 12, 2021
Due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand since December, 2020, Thailand’s Ministry of Labor recently published two regulations under the Social Security Act (SSA) in the Government Gazette: The Regulation on Entitlement to Compensatory Benefits in the Event of Unemployment Due to Force Majeure from the Pandemic of Dangerous Communicable Disease Under Relevant Law Relating to Communicable Diseases B.E. 2563 (2020) (the Force Majeure Regulation); and The Regulation on Determination of the Amount of Contributions to the Social Security Funds B.E. 2563 (2020) (the SSF Contribution Regulation). Details of the two regulations are provided below. The Force Majeure Regulation This regulation is similar to a previous regulation from April, 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic, stating that the definition of force majeure under the Social Security Act B.E. 2533 (1990) (the SSA) includes hazards from pandemics of dangerous communicable diseases (including COVID-19). This definition therefore affords protection to insured persons (i.e., employees) in the event that the COVID-19 pandemic results in their being unable to work, or their employers being unable to operate their business normally. This regulation allows the Social Security Office (SSO) to pay compensation to employees who: are insured persons who qualify to receive compensatory benefit in case of unemployment in accordance with the SSA; have to cease working temporarily during the period from December 19, 2020 onwards; and do not receive wages from their employer during the temporary cessation. This applies only if the circumstances above result from the following force majeure events related to hazards from COVID-19 (or other pandemics of dangerous communicable diseases that affect the public under the Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (2015)): The employee cannot work, or the employer does not allow the employee to work, because of quarantine or to comply with a COVID-19
Read More
November 3, 2020
Many Thai and international companies have expanded rapidly into Myanmar in recent years, in what had seemed to be an unstoppable expansion of cross-border trade resulting from the country’s emergence back onto the global stage. For those companies, the COVID-19 situation in Myanmar has been a cause for much concern and uncertainty—doubly so for those who had hired staff in the jurisdiction, as a lack of clarity regarding their obligations as employers was compounded by a lack of information on the situation on the ground.
Read More