Forced labour in rubber, oil palm industries ‘old issue’, says minister

 

Khairuddin Aman Razali also said his ministry had conducted research on labour issues in the oil palm industry and found there were issues, although this occurred at a minimal rate of 0.8%.

PETALING JAYA: Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali has downplayed the incidences of forced labour in the rubber and oil palm industries, describing them as an “old issue”.

In an interview with TV AlHijrah, Khairuddin said the companies accused of forced labour in both industries had taken measures to address the matter.

This included reimbursing foreign workers for fees related to their employment.

Khairuddin said currently, many companies had adopted policies where they, as employers, pay for all the relevant costs instead of the employees.

He also said his ministry had conducted research on labour issues in the oil palm industry and found there were issues, although this occurred at a minimal rate of 0.8%.

“We admit there were labour issues, and that most of them involved were at the locations near the Sabah and Sarawak borders.

“I have submitted the findings (of the research) to the Cabinet in May so that we can subsequently present it to the ILO (International Labour Organization) and the US Labor Department,” he said.

In recent weeks, US authorities have flagged palm oil from FGV Holdings and rubber gloves from Malaysia over allegations of forced labour.

FGV Holdings had said the company is committed to the rights and welfare of its workers, and that it has taken measures to correct the situation.

Khairuddin said the government had also put in place policies to tackle labour issues after the allegations first surfaced five years ago.

“We have initiated the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification scheme for companies in our efforts to eradicate forced labour, where the certificate will not be given to companies that practise forced labour,” he said.

He also said the government was focusing on promoting palm oil products in the African continent because of its large population.

“We are currently facing restrictions from the European market and the US which refuses to buy our products. In fact, many companies are moving there (Africa) and this shows that the market is expanding,” he said. - FMT