THE Human Resources Ministry seems to be more reactive to external circumstances rather than having an intrinsic interest in ridding the country of the shame of forced labour.
The Government suddenly rushes into action just because the US has imposed a restriction on the exports of one or two glove firms.
Our Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan has suddenly realised that there is a problem of forced labour in the country. He should have known that forced labour in various forms exists in all sectors, especially in the export side.
There is an issue with exporting since Malaysian exports, particularly to the US, are under scrutiny to ensure labour compliance.
Of late, especially due the COVID-19 pandemic, glove prices have soared. So, it is only natural for glove companies in Malaysia and other countries to take advantage of increased demand.
However, good demand does not mean that companies should “squeeze”: their workforce and subject them to work long hours, with low wages.
It is a shame that it has to take the US to impose a ban on glove import from Malaysia on forced labour issues in the country to get the problem exposed to the public.
And Saravanan, without doing his homework, thinks that forced labour is an aberration rather than a norm. I would argue that forced labour is widespread in the country.
The workers in glove factories are lucky that the countries importing gloves took action, for Malaysia to bring improvements to their work conditions.
What about those factories that produce goods for local consumption? Is the Human Resources Ministry monitoring the situation there to eliminate forced labour?
It serves no purpose for Saravanan to blow hot and cold over the accusations of forced labour in the country. He must accept the responsibility of not undertaking a systematic investigation of labour conditions here and why employers are flouting labour laws.
Gov’t unable to take on powerful employers
Is Saravanan willing to admit the Government simply lacks political will to punish employers, whether big or small, for violating labour laws in the country? If not, then why are our enforcement agencies reluctant to move against powerful employers, especially those in the export sector?
We have a plethora of labour laws complemented by other regulatory mechanisms to stem out the nefarious practice of forced labour. Yet, the Government seems reluctant to move against the recalcitrant employers.
Are employers so powerful that the Government is powerless against them? Saravanan should cease from saying that he is going to take action.
Obviously, “this and that” have not worked to the benefit of employees who have contributed so much to the development and progress of the nation.
Maybe Saravanan, the minister of ad hoc approach, would want to clarify to the public how persistently he can reconcile the problem of forced labour with the fact that Malaysia is a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Isn’t this a contradiction? Malaysia can have all the laws of the world against forced labour or the miserable treatment of workers, but without political will, nothing really can be done.
The crux of the problem is this; the constant move to attract foreign direct investments has caused subjugation of our labour force.
Years of union busting have rendered the trade unions weak and divided, to the extent they cannot effectively represent our workers.
In my view, the Human Resources Ministry cannot even remove obnoxious laws, let alone champion the freedom and dignity of workers. – Oct 24, 2021.
Ramasamy Palanisamy is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
