Khaing Zar Aung

Zar Aung has seven siblings and comes from a poor family.^[1] She left school early to work and was hired in a textile factory at 16 by lying about her age in 2000.^[2] She joined a union as soon as she started working.^[3][4] Fired on the pretext of her age, she moved to Thailand, where she continued her union activities, notably organizing Burmese migrants who were with her.^[1][3][4] With the gradual return of a form of democracy, she was allowed to return to her country^[2] and joined the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).^[3][4]

Later, she became its leader and organized the labour movement in Myanmar in a very complex situation for human and union rights.^[5] The unionist achieved victories and sought, in particular, to empower women working in the country's textile industry.^[3][4] Despite these victories, she had to face an increasingly tense situation in the country.^[6]

After the 2021 coup in Myanmar, the situation became abysmal and very volatile.^[7] Zar Aung urges multinational corporations to leave the country.^[7][8] She managed to exile to Germany, where she continued her efforts to organize the Burmese labour movement from abroad.^[3][4][9]

In 2024, she received the Arthur Svensson international prize for trade union rights.^[3][4][10] She was nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.^[11]