Editor’s Note: This report by Business Insider Bangladesh has been removed on Aug 23, 2021 following a demand by Top Glove Corp Bhd.
A BANGLADESHI migrant worker has returned home from Malaysia with a stage IV cancer that he suspects is related to ‘occupational’ hazards at his rubber glove manufacturing plant.
The migrant worker, Khurshid Miah, has demanded adequate compensation from his former employer, Top Glove Sdn Bhd (TGSB), according to the Business Insider Bangladesh portal.
Khurshid who joined TGSB which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Top Glove Corp Bhd on September 15, 2017 flew back to Dhaka on July 22, his family members said.
“I had to work with chemicals to process rubber. I had been suffering from acute stomach pain for several months and had conveyed my concern to them,” he was quoted as saying by the news portal. “A company physician gave me some heartburn medicines after visiting me.”
As the pain did not go away, Khurshid said he was then sent to a hospital but could not get admitted due to COVID-19 health protocols.
“Now I am appealing to my company to provide me compensation on health and safety grounds so that I can continue my treatment in Bangladesh,” he further told Business Insider Bangladesh.
Although doctors in Malaysia had at one stage advised him to undergo surgery as his condition was critical, Khurshid decided to fly back home as the family members wished so.
In an e-mail response, Top Glove’s deputy general manager (corporate communications) Michelle Voon has this to say: “Top Glove wishes to inform you that the company’s goodwill gesture to Mr Khurshid Miah, amounting to Ringgit Malaysia RM15,000.00 was received by Mr Miah’s spouse as per his request in Bangladesh on Tuesday, Aug 3 at 7:30pm Malaysian time.”
“We hope that being with his family and loved ones during this time will benefit M. Miah and his health tremendously. Our good wishes are with Mr Miah and his family.”
However, migrant rights specialist Andy Hall expressed his concern over the allegations that occupational disease may be related to Khurshid’s conditions.
“There has been concern raised that this disease may be caused or at least compounded by an occupational work situation of Mr Khurshid and TGSB,” Hall pointed out.
“The worker also alleged that the treatment of their health was consistent with several reports of neglect by TGSB and its medical services to ensure the good medical treatment for workers across the board as his situation was not promptly diagnosed and treated.”
In the spirit of improvements, Hall has requested TGSB to consider carefully the timeline of this case as lessons learnt and share this timeline transparently.
“I also hope TGSB can urgently undertake a full investigation to consider whether this case is a potential occupational diseases case, hence consider means to ensure compensation is commensurate with that for occupational diseases so that the RM15,000 provided to the family is re-considered.” – Aug 5, 2021
