BARELY a month after issuing a Withhold Release Order (WRO) against Supermax Corp Bhd and its subsidiaries over forced labour finding, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has instructed officers at all US ports of entry to detain disposable gloves produced in Malaysia by a group of companies collectively known as Smart Glove.
This group of companies include Smart Glove Corporation Sdn Bhd, GX Corporation Sdn Bhd, GX3 Specialty Plant, Sigma Glove Industries and Platinum Glove Industries Sdn Bhd.
Smart Glove is the fourth Malaysian glove maker to have its products banned in the US after Supermax Corp and its three wholly owned subsidiaries on Oct 20.
On July 15 last year, the CBP imposed a similar detention order on imports of disposable medical gloves by Top Glove after identifying all 11 violations of ILO indicators. It took Top Glove more than a year to resolve the exports ban issue.
In September 2019, a WRO was issued against WRP Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, of which the ban was lifted in March 2020.
The US authorities said it issued a WRO against disposable gloves produced by Smart Glove based on information that reasonably indicates that Smart Glove production facilities utilise forced labour.
CBP identified seven of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) indicators of forced labour during its investigation.
“In the past two years, CBP has set an international standard for ensuring that goods made with forced labour do not enter the US commerce,” CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller pointed out in a statement.
“Manufacturers like Smart Glove who fail to abide by our laws will face consequences as we root out this inhumane practice from the US supply chain.”
This is the third WRO that CBP has issued in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. In FY2021, CBP issued seven WROs and two findings.
The ILO estimates that 25 million workers suffer under conditions of forced labour worldwide.
Foreign companies exploit forced labour to sell goods below market value. This exposes vulnerable populations to inhumane working conditions like physical and sexual violence, isolation, restriction of movement, withholding of wages, excessive overtime, and more, according to CBP.
“It also hurts law-abiding businesses, threatens American jobs, and exposes consumers to unwittingly supporting unethical business practices,” added CBP. – Nov 5, 2021
