Stakeholders agree forced labour an issue in plantations sector

 

Representatives from the government, plantation owners and civil societies have acknowledged that forced labour elements were a problem in the plantations sector and that there were still gaps to be addressed.

Close to 100 participants joined a stakeholder meeting physically and online today, in the wake of US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) seizure announcements of Malaysian palm oil shipments likely to have been manufactured in an environment of forced labour.

Speaking at a press conference following the Stakeholder Consultation on Forced Labour hosted by Suhakam, its commissioner Mah Weng Kwai said no party had denied that there was a problem that needed to be addressed.

“The fact that we had representatives from companies, ministries and NGOs showed that there was a common sentiment and everyone was on the same page so conversations revolved around how best to address them.

“Discussion centred around three main complaints which were debt bondage, abusive working conditions and excessive overtime,” he added.

Severe manpower shortage in enforcement

However, Mah pointed out that a pertinent factor was the Human Resources Ministry’s admittance to a severe shortage of manpower to carry out enforcement checks in all sectors.

“The representative today informed us that the Labour Department only had 400 enforcement officers, which was why it was important for them to work with officers from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Council,” he said.

Mah also said that only when investigations increase, penalties imposed by the courts would help mitigate the problem.

Suhakam commissioner Mah Weng Kwai

When asked if the Labour Department had acknowledged its role in addressing labour issues of undocumented migrant workers without first focusing on their immigration status, Mah said Suhakam believes that all workers should be treated equally.

“Workers should not be abused simply because they didn’t have their papers,” he added.

Another Suhakam commissioner also present at the press conference, Jerald Joseph, said while the ministry’s recognition of its manpower shortage was a significant step, corruption contributed to the gaps that encouraged the prevalence of forced labour in labour practices and recruitment processes.

“There needs to be a comprehensive mechanism to tackle forced labour,” he said.

Jerald added that opaque processes and secret government-to-government memorandum of understandings (MOU) also contributed to abuses.

“It’s time we stopped secretive MOUs. The openness builds confidence in any labour negotiations,” he said.

Solutions to labour crunch

Jerald said among the solutions discussed was automation and mechanisation of the industry, which required heavy investment but was an eventuality that could “address the big issue of labour crunch, especially during the harvesting season.”

Another factor that bogged the industry down was the management of the supply chains for their compliance.

Without dismissing the responsibility of the parent company, Jerald explained that there were so many sub-supply chains and that was where many companies were falling short on compliance.

Among the other stakeholders who were represented at the meeting were the International Labour Organisation, the International Trade and Industry Ministry, the Malaysian Bar, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress, the International Organisation for Migrations, FGV Holdings Berhad, IOI Corporation Berhad, Tenaganita and the Women’s Aid Organisation.

Jerald said it was also very encouraging to see the participation of seven embassies at the meeting.

“Embassies too have to play a more active role for the protection of workers from their respective countries,” he said, adding that Suhakam had already started direct discussions with diplomatic representatives from the Philippines, Indonesia and Nepal. - Mkini