2,000 workers had to strike for about 3 days for Malaysian government to ACT?
New PH Human Resource Minister media reported actions and stance was disappointing when allegations of worker rights abuse was highlighted against a Malaysian company - he quickly suggested 'fake news'...possible 'actions of rivals'...and after a super fast investigations declared that all was well. His media conference, was with the alleged perpetrator company's representative - Perception was this government was also with employers even when confronting possible worker rights violations.
Then, STRIKE by 2,000 workers...sees the government finally taking action against a Company now.
SAD WHEN WORKERS HAVE TO RESORT TO 'STRIKES' BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT ACTS. A mere complaint or a communication of or knowledge' of possible violations should immediately move the Ministry to investigate ... and act fast...
CONTRACTOR FOR LABOUR - will the government abolish it? The Opposition was strongly with workers and unions before...now, how?
OVERTIME LIMIT of 104 hours per month - Will the PH government respect '8 hours work 8 hours rest and 8 hours social life' ...or simply not bother, and allow workers to work 12 hours every day...The reason that 'the workers want it'...is just so lame...we have to abide by international standards. A worker should have sufficient income working 8 hours per day(48 hours per week)...and the way to ensure that is that they get just wages...
REGULAR EMPLOYMENT - The government should really abolish the use of short-term employment, and ensure that all workers have employment security - regular employment until retirement/company shuts down/legitimate retrenchments/etc. Now, if you work less than 12 months, and is terminated- you have NO TERMINATION or LAY OFF benefits?
Employer did not pay wages for 3 months - and then suddenly say no money and shut down. Companies can do this but not sole proprietors and/or partnership - because if business no money, workers can go after the sole proprietor and/or partner to get what the business owes the worker...but not if employer is Company. Maybe, Directors and Major Shareholders should be forced to give a personal guarantee that they will pay the debts to workers, if the business fails. Banks would not give loans to company without these Directors' personal guarantees...so same for workers?
See earlier related posts:-
Minister to say 'fake news' or 'actions of rivals' when HR Defenders highlight possible rights violations in Top Glove is wrong?
OVERTIME - only allowed for reasons provided in law, not simply on employer or worker wishes?
Malaysians work 40 hours a week and earn a decent income for a good life? Malaysia's Top Glove investigated by Britain?
Ministry to take glove company to court over unpaid wages
A glove manufacturer will soon be hauled to court over unpaid wages and other labour-related offences.
"Action will be carried out soon to ensure the same offences will not be repeated and it will serve as a reminder to other employers," said the department in a statement today.
It did not elaborate on the provision of law that will be used against the company.
The migrant workers of the WRP Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, a glove manufacturing company in Sepang, had gone on a strike earlier this week claiming that they were not paid three months worth of wages.
The Labour Department, which was informed by the police of the strike on Jan 29, said it paid a visit to the company’s premises, together with representatives from Industrial Relations Department, Bangladesh High Commission and Nepal Embassy, to identify the reason behind the strike.
“Investigations found that the main reason of the strike was that the employer had failed to pay the workers since November 2018," said the department.
It also identified other offences, namely delay in overtime payment and illegitimate reduction of wages.
Following discussions with the management, the department noted that WRP Asia Pacific agreed to pay the outstanding salaries and overtime payment owed to the staff by Feb 28.
Last December, The Guardian revealed that the British National Health Service was using medical gloves made in Malaysian factories, where migrant workers mainly from Nepal and Bangladesh, were allegedly subjected to exploitative working conditions.
WRP Asia Pacific and another major glove manufacturer were named in the report.
Three of the 19 workers interviewed by The Guardian were from WRP Asia Pacific, and they related stories of excessive overtime, confiscation of passports and illegal withholding of their salaries. - Malaysiakini, 31/1/2019
This
follows an investigation by the Human Resource Ministry's Labour
Department after a three-day strike staged by nearly 2,000 of the
company's Nepali workers.
"Action will be carried out soon to ensure the same offences will not be repeated and it will serve as a reminder to other employers," said the department in a statement today.
It did not elaborate on the provision of law that will be used against the company.
The migrant workers of the WRP Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, a glove manufacturing company in Sepang, had gone on a strike earlier this week claiming that they were not paid three months worth of wages.
The Labour Department, which was informed by the police of the strike on Jan 29, said it paid a visit to the company’s premises, together with representatives from Industrial Relations Department, Bangladesh High Commission and Nepal Embassy, to identify the reason behind the strike.
“Investigations found that the main reason of the strike was that the employer had failed to pay the workers since November 2018," said the department.
It also identified other offences, namely delay in overtime payment and illegitimate reduction of wages.
Following discussions with the management, the department noted that WRP Asia Pacific agreed to pay the outstanding salaries and overtime payment owed to the staff by Feb 28.
Last December, The Guardian revealed that the British National Health Service was using medical gloves made in Malaysian factories, where migrant workers mainly from Nepal and Bangladesh, were allegedly subjected to exploitative working conditions.
WRP Asia Pacific and another major glove manufacturer were named in the report.
Three of the 19 workers interviewed by The Guardian were from WRP Asia Pacific, and they related stories of excessive overtime, confiscation of passports and illegal withholding of their salaries. - Malaysiakini, 31/1/2019
Almost 2,000 Nepali glove factory workers end 3-day strike
Nearly 2,000 Nepali workers at a glove
manufacturing factory in Sepang have ended their three-day strike after
the management promised to settle their outstanding salaries.
Sources told Malaysiakini that
Labour Department officials were onsite at the WRP Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd
factory for an inspection earlier today, as well as to meet with the
striking workers and the management.
"The Labour Department confirmed that the workers were not paid their wages for the last three months.
"They
also found that the workers were living in terrible conditions," said
the source, a labour activist in communication with a Nepali counterpart
who forwarded the matter to authorities from the country.
The
source was also informed that a labour attaché from the Nepali Embassy
in Kuala Lumpur was involved in the discussions with WRP management.
"I was informed that the case is settled.
"The company will pay all the wages within this week," said the source.
'Exploitative conditions'
Last December, The Guardian revealed that
the British National Health Service was using medical gloves made in
Malaysian factories where migrant workers are allegedly subjected to
forced labour, forced overtime, debt bondage, withheld wages and
passport confiscation.
The report stated that WRP and another
major glove manufacturer were found to have allegedly subjected
thousands of migrant workers from Nepal and Bangladesh to exploitative
working conditions.
Three of 19 workers interviewed by The Guardian were from WRP. They related stories of excessive overtime, confiscation of passports and illegal withholding of their salaries.
According
to the newspaper, a potential client who visited the WRP factory said
he was shocked by what he had witnessed, and claimed the overall working
conditions were some of "the worst he had ever seen".
Among
others, it was claimed that factory temperatures were up to 70°C for
those working near the ovens, and that more than 3,000 workers were
housed in a hostel built for 1,800.
In a statement to The Guardian,
WRP chief executive Lee Son Hong dismissed the allegations of forced
labour as "baseless" and insisted that the company had never withheld or
delayed payments for its employees.
When contacted, Sepang police chief Abdul Aziz Ali confirmed
that the workers had been picketing outside the factory for the last
three days.
"Yes, they held a strike. But the issue has been settled," he told Malaysiakini.
However, Abdul Aziz said, no statement was recorded from the employer, as the incident involved no criminal elements.
"This is not a criminal case. It is (a dispute) between the workers and their employers.
"When their employer did not pay them for three months, they were angry and held a strike.
"Once the issue of salary was resolved, the strike ended," Abdul Aziz added.
Additional reporting by FAISAL ASYRAF. - Malaysiakini, 29/1/2019
Government to take glove maker to court for not paying workers
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia says it will take a medical glove manufacturer
to court after it failed to pay its workers for three months, sparking a
protest.
The government launched an investigation against WRP after workers,
who are mainly from Bangladesh and Nepal, went on strike. It found their
wages had been withheld since November.
WRP confirmed there had been a protest by workers but said the
dispute had now been resolved. In an email to the Thomson Reuters
Foundation, it said it was unaware of the government’s plans to
prosecute, and called the charges “unfounded”.
“The prosecution will be made soon to ensure the same offence would
not be repeated and as a warning to other employers,” the Labour
Department said in a statement yesterday.
This was despite WRP agreeing to settle the outstanding wages, it said. It did not say how many workers were affected.
Labour rights abuses have come under the spotlight in Malaysia, which
relies on nearly two million migrant workers to staff its plantations,
factories and construction sites.
Malaysia has become the world’s glove capital, producing three out of
every five pairs of gloves used in the world according to industry
data, exporting to countries like Britain and the US.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation reported in December that workers at
the world’s largest glove maker, Top Glove, had worked excessive
overtime and in some cases exceeded the legal limit to help clear debts
to recruitment agents.
The expose prompted investigations by the British government after it
found some Top Glove supplies had been used in its hospitals, and by
Australian rubber giant Ansell. Malaysia also vowed to take action.
Top Glove is the world’s leading glove manufacturer followed by Malaysia-based firms including Hartalega, Kossan and Supermax.
WRP, headquartered just outside Kuala Lumpur, is smaller. Its website
said it produced about 11 billion gloves a year and had more than 4,000
workers in 2016.
The government said the company had also breached other labour laws, including making unlawful salary deductions.
WRP said it had “managed to settle the matter from the workers’ side”
and was working with “various recruitment agencies and local
contractors in order to ensure our migrant workers’ interest are better
taken care of in the future”. - FMT News, 1/2/2019
Malaysia to take glovemaker to court for not paying workers
KUALA
LUMPUR (Feb 1): Malaysia said on Thursday it would take a medical glove
manufacturer to court after it failed to pay its workers for three
months, sparking a protest.
The government launched an investigation against WRP after workers,
who are mainly from Bangladesh and Nepal, went on strike. It found their
wages had been withheld since November.
WRP confirmed there had been a protest by workers but said the
dispute had now been resolved. In an email to the Thomson Reuters
Foundation, it said it was unaware of the government's plans to
prosecute, and called the charges "unfounded".
"The prosecution will be made soon to ensure the same offence would
not be repeated and as a warning to other employers," Malaysia's Labour
Department said in a statement.
This was despite WRP agreeing to settle the outstanding wages, it said. It did not say how many workers were affected.
Labour rights abuses have come under the spotlight in Malaysia, which
relies on nearly two million migrant workers to staff its plantations,
factories and construction sites.
Malaysia has become the world's glove capital, producing three out of
every five pairs of gloves used in the world according to industry
data, exporting to countries like Britain and the United States.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation reported in December that workers at
the world's largest glovemaker, Malaysia's Top Glove, have worked
excessive overtime and in some cases exceed the legal limit to help
clear debts to recruitment agents.
The expose prompted investigations by the British government after it
found some Top Glove supplies had been used in its hospitals, and by
Australian rubber giant Ansell. Malaysia also vowed to take action.
Top Glove is the world's leading glove manufacturer followed by Malaysia-based firms including Hartalega, Kossan and Supermax.
WRP, headquartered just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur, is smaller.
Its website said it produced about 11 billion gloves a year and had
more than 4,000 workers in 2016.
The government said the company had also breached other labour laws, including making unlawful salary deductions.
WRP said it had "managed to settle the matter from the workers' side"
and was working with "various recruitment agencies and local
contractors in order to ensure our migrant workers' interest are better
taken care of in the future". - The Edge Market, 1/2/2019
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