PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin today said the setting up of a committee to address the issue of alleged forced labour was a move in the right direction, to resolve this long standing issue.
The Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister said this issue had unfairly plagued local industries, in particular, palm oil and rubber.
"In the spirit of Keluarga Malaysia, I would like to thank Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan for securing the commitment from the US Customs and Borders Protection (CBP) to set up this committee during his current trip to the US.
"The ministry will be following up on this with the relevant US authorities to urgently resolve the matter. I have several key meetings lined up and I am confident an amicable resolution will be reached soon," she said.
She reiterated that most of the claims of forced labour made by non-governmental organisations and other interest groups were not verified by the US authorities, which resulted in Malaysian palm oil and palm oil products being banned.
"This is grossly unfair to our local industry. The government has taken various initiatives to monitor and prevent forced labour. We have pledged to eradicate forced labour and child labour through ratification of ILO Fundamental Convention no. 29 (Forced Labour) and Convention
no.182 (Worst Forms of Child Labour) respectively.
"In addition, Malaysia has ratified Convention no.98 (Collective Bargaining), Convention no.100 (Equal Remuneration) and Convention no.138 (Minimum Age) and Convention no.131 (Minimum Wage). These conventions provide useful guidance in determining Malaysia's obligations with respect to the protection of the rights of foreign workers," said Zuraida.
Currently, she said, Malaysia was also embarking on the BRIDGE Project with ILO, aimed at supporting government efforts at combating forced labour under Protocol 29 (Supplementary Protocol to Convention 29) as a guidance on measures to eliminate all areas of forced labour (prevention, protection of victims and access to justice).
"We have conducted a comprehensive study on the Labour Situation in the Palm Oil Plantation Sector in Malaysia in 2018. The findings of the study have been sent to the United States Department of Labour (US DOL) and released as a public document."
She said the government through the MPIC will continue to ensure that the country's commodity industry, which is one of the main contributors to the country's economic recovery after Covid-19, will continue to be protected from misleading propaganda from various quarters.
"I would also like to call on all Malaysians to join MPIC in our efforts to oppose the anti-palm oil campaign and continue to promote the benefits of Malaysian palm oil," she added.