Malaysia inspects rubber goods factories amid forced labour allegations

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia’s ministry of human resources has carried out statutory and ad-hoc inspections of rubber goods manufacturers after the country was included in the US 2020 list of goods produced with child or forced labour. 

The ministry carried out the inspections to ensure compliance with national labour laws and will continue to monitor and take action against employers failing to adhere to those laws, it said in a 17 Oct statement. 

In addition, following a meeting with the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA) and other rubber manufacturing companies, the ministry has set up a task force to monitor the compliance with labour laws and policies by rubber manufacturers.

The task force aims to ensure industry compliance with policies such as hiring of foreign workers, the statement noted. 

The move came after a detention order placed by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) on shipments from Top Glove in mid-July due to allegations of forced labour.