In December 2018, The Guardian alleges WRP subjects thousands of migrant workers from Nepal and Bangladesh to exploitative working conditions. WRP supplies to the NHS. The workers told of excessive overtime, confiscation of passports and illegal withholding of pay. The workers also claimed they were “trapped” and not allowed to leave the WRP factory, except on Sundays. Further, factory temperatures were up to 70 degrees Celsius and more than 3,000 workers were housed in a hostel built for 1,800. Several of the ILO criteria for forced labour were met. A later report published in October 2019 alleges WPR workers were charged exorbitant recruitment fees for jobs that do not meet their promise, overcrowded living conditions, and confiscation of passports.
取られた措置: WRP chief executive, Lee Son Hong, denied the allegations as “baseless”, saying the company had “never forced any worker to work 12 hours a day without a day of rest in a week”. “We are appalled that the issue of withholding pay and payment is made once every three months is brought up as we pay monthly wages according to the Malaysian Employment Act,” Lee said. Lee also denied workers were not free to leave the factory premises and they do not confiscate workers’ passports, but kept them in accessible lockers. “Our workers want us to keep their passports for safekeeping,” Lee insisted. An NHS Supply Chain spokesperson said: “NHS Supply Chain takes all allegations of labour abuses in its supply chain very seriously, and we have range of contractual arrangements and initiatives in place to try and prevent such situations arising.”
"Malaysian factories accused of 'forced labour' make rubber gloves for Britain's health service", 9 December 2018
Britain is launching an investigation into medical gloves used by its health service after reports of forced labour, forced overtime, debt bondage, withheld wages and passport confiscation in Malaysian factories where they were made.
...Top Glove and WRP – are allegedly subjecting thousands of migrant workers from Nepal and Bangladesh to exploitative working conditions....
...Top Glove...released a statement..."Lengthy working hours are our main concern and we continue to explore every possible way to address the issue of our workers' excessive daily OT," the company said.
..."Top Glove adopts a zero-tolerance policy with any regard to the abuse of human's rights at all levels," said the statement. "In fact our human/labour rights and health initiatives exceed those of the glove industry average."
WRP chief executive, Lee Son Hong, denied the allegations as "baseless", saying the company had "never forced any worker to work 12 hours a day without a day of rest in a week".
"We are appalled that the issue of withholding pay and payment is made once every three months is brought up as we pay monthly wages according to the Malaysian Employment Act," Lee said.
Lee also denied workers were not free to leave the factory premises and they do not confiscate workers' passports, but kept them in accessible lockers. "Our workers want us to keep their passports for safekeeping," Lee insisted.