Minister 'shocked and ashamed' by workers' squalid living quarters
Shipping containers, dank with the stench of stale urine, were converted into living quarters for migrant workers.
That is the scenario authorities reported they found migrant workers to be living in during a raid on a glove maker Laglove (M) Sdn Bhd’s premises in Batu 13, Kajang...
Shipping containers, dank with the stench of stale urine, were converted into living quarters for migrant workers.
That is the scenario authorities reported they found migrant workers to be living in during a raid on a glove maker Laglove (M) Sdn Bhd’s premises in Batu 13, Kajang.
According to a report by Astro Awani today, Human Resources Minister M Saravanan had joined the raid and was shocked by what he saw.
“I cannot believe such places exist in Malaysia and I’m not sure how they could live in such filthy and terrible conditions.
“I call this ‘modern slavery’ and employers need to ensure their workers' welfare is protected.
“Local government should have already identified such places. If the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia (JTKSM) did not come today, perhaps we wouldn’t have known about this place.
“I’m very sad to see such conditions… although we have seen it during British colonisation,” Saravanan is reported to have told reporters after the raid.
The report said the joint operation by JTKSM and the Health Ministry lasted about an hour from 9.30am.
While Awani did not name the factory, Focus Malaysia stated that the raid was conducted on Laglove's premises.
The latter reported that subsequently, the Hulu Langat district office seized the workers' housing as it was built without proper authorisation and flouted the Workers' Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446).
It quoted sources as saying that the place has been shut down for seven days.
The raid comes amid a slew of large Covid-19 outbreaks involving cramped accommodation facilities for migrant blue-collar workers, which prompted the government to implement a programme to test all such workers.
Saravanan reportedly told reporters that he would ask JTKSM to blacklist the company from recruiting migrant workers, but when asked whether the company would be shut down, he said the matter is under the local government’s jurisdiction.
He said his ministry would hold discussions on the matter with the local authorities soon, and such raids would be conducted regularly nationwide.
“As a minister, I am deeply ashamed to see such miserable conditions.
“I would like to give a stern warning to employers to obey existing laws in handling migrant workers,” he added.
According to Astro Awani, the company had housed 759 out of its 781 migrant workers in shipping containers that had been converted into workers’ accommodation.
The report said the conditions were cramped, which was made worse by the dank atmosphere and the stench of urine.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.