Two seemingly contradictory reports about Top Glove Corporation Bhd came out recently.
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it found Top Glove, purportedly, uses convict, forced and indentured labour in its factories.
The other report named the company as one of "HR Asia's Best Companies to Work for in Asia". Top Glove must be doing something right to receive the award. The fact that it won this award points to the existence of a huge chasm between how it is perceived by people and how the CBP perceives it. Has the agency come into Malaysia to check on Top Glove's operations? How are they verifying the allegations?
This is the first time we are hearing of convict, forced or indentured labour. Naturally, indentured (or slave) labour is something the US knows a lot about. The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution explicitly allows penal labour.
Reportedly, at one point, prisoners were not even paid. It is not much better now as prisoners get paid as low as two cents an hour, despite penal labour in the US being a multi-billion dollar industry.
Is it happening here? Malaysia's Prisons Department, in an effort to bring down the recividism rate and help prisoners return to a life of normalcy when their sentences end, allows only those with a little time left on their sentences to work outside.
One criteria is that the crimes they were sentenced for were non-violent, and they had displayed good behaviour while serving their terms. Other convicts are allowed to work within the prisons, picking up skills for use when they re-enter society and earning some money at the same time.
They produce all manner of things, including foodstuff, which are used within the prison and sold outside. It is an industry that generates upwards of RM30 million annually for the department, including the money paid to the prisoners.
The Top Glove human resource manual bars the use of forced labour, including involuntary prison labour. It states: "We are committed to comply with the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) best practices, respect for human rights through emphasis on occupational health and safety, a diverse workplace which champions equal treatment, talent management, security management as well as impact of our products towards society's or user's safety."
In a statement yesterday, Top Glove said it had submitted a report prepared by an independent international UK consultant earlier this month to CBP for review as well as having taken all the necessary measures required by CBP to ensure all concerns are addressed.
It also said findings by the consultant confirmed there is no systemic forced labour across the ILO's 11 indicators in the company's direct operations.
This Leader calls on CBP to make public the information that proves these allegations against Top Glove before any sanctions are imposed. Top Glove is the world's largest producer of rubber gloves, and yes, it's tough being the biggest.
Competitors, like vultures, wait in line for the swoop. Malaysia is not alien to this, having seen the lobby against palm oil, time and again, despite the scientific evidence.
Top Glove should be given a chance to defend itself. This is especially critical at a time when rubber gloves are much needed.