Windsor Estate workers carry out daily protests after eviction

Evicted workers from the Windsor Estate in Kamunting, Perak, are carrying out daily protests from 2pm till 7pm against the actions of the estate management.

The national coordinator of the Jawatankuasa Sokongan Masyarakat Ladang (JSML), R Karthiges, said the workers objected to the actions of the employer of Windsor Estate in Kamunting for carrying out the forced eviction of three farm workers through court action.

“Windsor Estate is owned by Malakoff and managed by a company called Tradewind Plantech Sdn Bhd. So, yes, they are Malakoff workers under Tradewind management.

“On Sept 22, more than 40 policemen helped evict Windsor farm workers who refused to leave the farm quarters.

“They, along with all the other farm workers, have demanded the implementation of the housing scheme and requested that the employer not carry out the eviction until the implementation of the scheme,” Karthiges told Malaysiakini.

He said that the call for a housing scheme for farm workers is a general demand of the JSML.

“These farm workers have written a letter requesting this to the employer since the beginning of 2020 but the employer refused to listen to their claim,” he added.

Workers dragged to court

He claimed that the landlord, through an estate management agent, used to cut off the water and electricity supply to his former employees who refused to vacate their houses.

“After receiving strong objections from all the workers and clearly having crossed the line, the employer, through his management agent, dragged the workers to court.

“The workers lost in court because the Farm Community Housing Scheme was only made a policy by former prime minister Abdul Razak (Hussein) in the past and not made into law,” Karthiges added.

Finally, this week, their household goods were hauled out and the houses they had lived in for more than three generations were locked up by court bailiffs, he said.

“We built a khemah (tent) in front of the ladang (farm) and protest every day, from 2pm to 7pm.

“JSML calls on the Malaysian government to intervene immediately in the Windsor Estate eviction issue and force the landlords to sit down to the negotiating table and find a way to solve their problems,” he said.

Two years ago a group of between 50 to 60 workers and their supporters protested outside the Malakoff Corporation headquarters at KL Sentral after electricity and water supplies were cut to the quarters of three former workers.

Activists claimed the utility cuts were an attempt to forcefully evict them from the Windsor Estate.

However, in a statement released shortly after the protest two years ago, Malakoff Corporation Berhad categorically denied any involvement in the alleged eviction of the ex-workers from Windsor Estate.

It has yet to respond to Malaysiakini’s request for comment on the latest round of protests.

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