Ramasamy: Don't wait for foreigners blacklisting Malaysia to fix labour issues

 

Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy has criticised Human Resources Minister M Saravanan for only taking action on forced labour practices in the country when there is foreign intervention.

The Human Resources Ministry, he said, seems to be more reactive to external circumstances rather than having an intrinsic interest to rid the country of the shame of forced labour. 

The DAP lawmaker claimed that the government had only sprung into action after a number of local glove manufacturers were slapped with an export ban by the United States.

“Saravanan has suddenly realised that there is a problem of forced labour in the country.

“Saravanan should realise that forced labour in the various forms exists in all sectors, especially in the export sector,” Ramasamy (above, right) said in a statement today.  

He added that glove factory workers are “lucky” countries that are importing gloves have a say in improving their labour conditions.

“What about those factories that produce goods for local consumption?” he asked.

Ramasamy’s statement follows Saravanan's launch of a national action plan to address the issue of forced labour in the country taking place next month.

This came after major surgical gloves manufacturer Supermax Corp was slapped with an import ban by the US, following an investigation that revealed forced labour indicators in the company and its subsidiaries.

Last July, Supermax's bigger Malaysian rival Top Glove - the world's largest latex glove maker - was barred by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over similar allegations, but the ban was lifted last month after the company resolved the labour issues.

Palm oil producers Sime Darby Plantation and FGV Holdings have also been banned by the CBP in the last year over forced labour claims.

Lack of political will

Ramasamy also questioned the lack of political will of the relevant authorities to take action on such practices.

“Saravanan must accept the responsibility of not undertaking a systematic investigation of labour conditions in the country and why employers are floating labour laws to engage in the use of forced labour.

“Is he willing to admit the government simply lacks the political will to punish employers, whether big or small, for flouting labour laws in the country?

“Why are the enforcement agencies reluctant to move against powerful employers, especially those in the export sector?" he asked. 

The Penang deputy chief minister claimed that despite a “plethora of labour laws” complemented by other regulatory mechanisms to remove forced labour practices, the government remains reluctant to move against those practising forced labour.

“Maybe Saravanan, the minister of ad hoc approach, would want to clarify to the public as to how the persistent problem of forced labour can be reconciled with the fact that Malaysia is a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council,” added Ramasamy, asking if it was a contradiction. - Mkini