Electronics factory accused of exploiting migrant workers

 

The largest electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider in Malaysia, ATA Industrial (M) Sdn Bhd (ATA IMS), has been accused of allegedly exploiting its migrant workers, by making them work excessive hours and forcing them to live in substandard conditions.

The company made international headlines after a worker complained of having to put in 186 hours of overtime a month just to make ends meet.

"The work is very hard, the hours very long and we have no space to ourselves - but we need to support our families.

"We just want to ask for better conditions. Sharing a room with more than 60 other people is very difficult. You have no space for yourself," a Nepalese worker was quoted as saying by UK-based Sunday Mirror.

"We have nowhere to cook food. We have no lockers and have to hang clothes at the end of our beds," he said, adding that the filthy toilets compounded their misery.

A payslip sighted by the daily showed the employee worked up to 186 hours in overtime a month while another said he clocked in 175 extra hours.

This was against the Employment (Limitation of Overtime Work) Regulation 1980 which limits overtime work to 104 hours in a month.

Migrant worker rights activist Andy Hall has filed a petition to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to investigate ATA IMS as the EMS provider exports goods to the country. 

In a letter dated April 14, CBP's Therese M Randazzo said: "CBP reviewed the petition and determined that the information is sufficient to the merits of this allegation.

"If the CBP finds the information meets the threshold, CBP will issue a Withhold Release Order."

In a statement, ATA IMS senior manager Jivanadham Kavita Kaushaliya denied the firm exploited its workers.

He said the firm complied strictly with local labour laws and regulations related to recruitment, minimum wage, overtime hours and no child labour policy.

"The group provides hostel accommodation for all foreign workers which meet international labour standards adopted and audited regularly by our main multinational customers and global retailers," Jivanadham added.

After ATA IMS was contacted for comment, the workers were reportedly moved to another hostel and they were told that handphones were now banned at the factory.  - Mkini