KUALA LUMPUR: Supermax Corporation Bhd has recently rolled out a new and comprehensive foreign worker management policy to strengthen its human resources management and migrant workers policies and practices.
In a statement today, the glove manufacturer said the new policy had expanded the remediation scope to include former direct hire and contract workers who had left the company before October 1, 2019.
These new initiatives and revised eligibility criteria for remediation have been agreed upon after seeking views and advice from a reputable international consulting firm and through ongoing engagement and dialogue with Andy Hall, a migrant worker rights specialist.
Supermax has also engaged an international consulting firm to continue to assess and advise on the payout to all its current and former workers and track and locate these workers that have returned to their home countries.
Supermax is also committed to ensuring all former workers receive their remediation payment, including those in the expanded scope.
To ensure that all entitled former workers receive their remediation payments, notices will be published in the newspapers of respective foreign worker origin countries.
Supermax will also conduct outreach activities for six months, from February 2022 until July 2022, to reach out to as many former workers as possible.
The company would also set up a sinking fund to ensure that it remediates these former workers and all other eligible workers according to the revised eligibility criteria for remediation.
The sinking fund will be reviewed accordingly when it depletes and governed by an advisory committee consisting of management, consultants and independent migrant worker rights specialist Andy Hall.
The company has also implemented a one-off RM5,000 ex-gratia payment to all its workers and will add an element of interest on the amount of one-time recruitment-related fees and costs paid by workers.
The company is pleased to announce the completion of these payments to its current active workers on February 7, 2022.
Former workers will also receive the same payout from February 2022 until July 2022.
To date, Supermax has paid out a total of RM25.67 million in remediation, covering past recruitment fees, ex-gratia and other related costs to its workers.
Supermax is continuously improving its human resource practices to be more aligned with International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards.
The company has implemented a zero cost recruitment policy and adopted an equal pay and benefits structure for foreign workers here in Malaysia.
It has also proactively raised its minimum wage to RM1,400 for workers across all categories.
The implementation of the policies is currently progressing in stages and accordance with the guidelines of Covid-19 standard operating procedures.