As for the unions’ recommendation to temporarily close factories in April, government and employer representatives dismissed it as impossible and impractical. At the start of April, driven by urgent concerns about worker safety, some workers protested against unsafe and oppressive workplaces. Four factories from Dagon Seikkan township protested and factories under the Federation of Garment Workers Myanmar in Hlaing Thar Yar township campaigned in support of full-salary-factory closure. The factories were temporarily closed due to official Thingyan holidays and government forced closure, without salary compensation. When the factories were reopened, these unionists were dismissed for their strikes and campaigns. Workers from May Fair Myanmar factory, in Dagon Seikkan township, were protesting for the temporary closure of the factory, safer conditions, and accountability for workplace oppression. 160 workers among about 500 protesting workers were laid off without explanation. Workers tried to solve these problems through formal legal channels with the help of MICS. But, Ko Nay Lin Aung from MICS said, “officials from the labor office told us to charge the employer anywhere, as you’d like. We don’t care.”^[1] Yet, the government did care when the workers chose to protest. One worker said, “we tried to initiate a negotiation, but the employer did not show up. We don’t have any options.” At the start of the dispute, about 500 workers began to strike. 160 workers who led and participated in the protests were dismissed, left without work, and unable to take any actions due to COVID-19 related orders. Five members of MICS were charged for assisting with an unlawful strike. Workers from this factory were left with untenable options like submitting letters to the International Labour Organization and the NLD. Such options might help to get attention from these organizations, but it is certain that the dispute cannot be solved immediately. Not only did the government fail to protect unionists and workers from wrongful dismissal, it failed to do its normal duty of conciliating labour disputes. Ko Thet Hnin Aung from MICS explained, “If they [government officials] solved 10 disputes per day before COVID-19, they work half of it, 5 disputes per day during this period.”^[2] When workers needed the government most, they received even less support than normal. The government and employers left unionists with no choice but to strike, and to do so illegally. Since 2012, strikes have been illegal unless they occur following a three-day notice and permission from a registered federation according to The Settlement of Labour Dispute Law (2012). By law, the right to strike only comes into effect when the decision of the Arbitration Body is deemed unsatisfactory. But, strikes are a response to pressing concerns and unworkable formal channels. In Blue Diamond factory in Yangon, Dagon Seikkan Township, workers began striking in the first week of April and the dispute remained when the factory was reopened in May. Workers protested again for full wages for April on 2 May 2020. One worker from Blue Diamond told the media, “When we had nearly reached an agreement with the employer regarding April salaries, police cracked down on us and arrested our leaders and supporters.” Leaders and supporters were arrested and jailed due to COVID-19 related restrictions. The employer filed two more articles against the two leaders for picketing and advocating for protest. There are many stories of unionists being ignored, dismissed, neglected, and then arrested for illegally striking. About 500 workers from Myanmar Univiews Optical International formed a factory union under the Federation of Garment Workers Myanmar (FGWM), after the first strike of workers for workplace fairness was completed in late March this year. Workers triumphed in their first strike. When an April factory closure was uncertain, the FGWM campaigned. Unionists tried to participate by taking photos with banners at lunch time. Their Chinese employers came and threw their phones to the ground without any discussion. When other workers saw this sight, they chose to strike.^[3] 7 union leaders have been dismissed since the event and 335 workers who participated in the strike were dismissed when the factory was reopened in May. COVID-19 was cited as the justification for the termination of these workers. Ko Htet Hlaing Phyo, chair of the factory union said, “All of the sacked workers are union members. Non-union members got their jobs back.” The sacked workers are still processing their dispute with the Hlaing Thar Yar township conciliation body. When workers approached related government offices, officials continuously told them to go another department. “If there were no COVID-19 related curfews, we would strike. During this period, if we strike, we’ll be arrested. We don’t have many options. We can only wait for the response of the government mechanism,” Ko Htet Hlaing Phyo, sacked leader of the factory union, stated.