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KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 14): The Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association of Malaysia (MARGMA) said it appreciates the “strategic and focused coordination and collaboration” between relevant parties to address the issue of forced labor and child labor raised by the United States Department of Labor.
The association said it has taken into account the inclusion of rubber gloves in the 2020 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor report issued by the department’s Office of International Labor Affairs.
However, the public and the global community should not misread the report, which is retrospective and non-punitive in nature, said Dr. Supramaniam Shanmugam, newly installed president of MARGMA.
“Furthermore, the report also does not take into account the latest developments, on social compliance, including the remediation of foreign workers in recent months,” Supramaniam said in a statement today.
He noted that several major rubber glove manufacturers have pledged more than RM250 million since June 2020 to remedy foreign workers for recruitment fees previously paid by workers to agents in their home countries, without the knowledge of their respective employers in Malaysia.
Supramaniam said MARGMA has taken proactive steps since 2018 to review recruitment agencies and the welfare and treatment of foreign workers.
He added: “In addition to working with the Ministry of Human Resources and Jabatan Tenaga Kerja Semenanjung Malaysia to carry out various improvements, MARGMA has also engaged with the US government through meetings with the US Embassy. In Kuala Lumpur, the US Government Accountability Office and US Customs and Border Protection to work on the progressive development and continuous improvement of the welfare of foreign workers in the rubber glove industry .
“Meanwhile, to be [in] In full compliance and avoid engaging in forced labor practices, MARGMA members have reported that they are practicing immediate repatriation if any foreign worker presents a risk of debt bondage or for being dishonest in claiming non-debt bondage during their entry interviews.
“The services of the recruiting agent responsible for your hiring will also end altogether. Moving forward in hiring fees, the industry has been committed to a zero cost policy since November 2019. ”
Supramaniam emphasized that Malaysian rubber glove manufacturers have adhered to good manufacturing and employment practices and undergo four levels of audits (internal audits, customer-driven audits, third-party audits, and government audits) at their facilities. and workers.
“Manufacturers must surely have passed all the rules and regulations required for the well-being of all workers in order to continue operating. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all manufacturers are in various stages of the SEDEX-SMETA (Sedex Member Ethical Trading Audit) audit program journey, ”he said.
Meanwhile, MARGMA expects the rubber glove shortage to last into the first quarter of 2022 due to shortages of both factory workers and latex supply in recent months.
The association has revised its export revenue projection from RM 21.8 billion to RM 29.8 billion for 2020 based on 1H20 performance.
2H20 export earnings are expected to reach RM18 billion, with the estimate for the full year 2021 at RM33.8 billion.
Read also:
Are Malaysian glove makers losing the US market over labor issues?
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