More than a dozen workers making products and components for Dyson are taking legal action against the company, alleging a string of labour abuses at a supplier in Malaysia.

The workers were employed at ATA Industrial, a division of ATA IMS, a major electronics manufacturer in Johor Bahru, which makes cordless vacuum cleaners and purifier fans for Dyson.

On top of this, one of the workers told Channel 4 News he was tortured by local police after concerns about unlawful working conditions in the factory were first raised in 2019.

Oliver Holland, a partner at UK law firm Leigh Day, which is representing the workers, told Channel 4 News: “Our clients allege that they work under conditions of forced labour.

“They lived in unsanitary and crowded accommodation, and they lived under the constant threat of punishment and persecution by the factory management if they didn’t adhere to what they wanted them to do.”

Dyson categorically denies any wrongdoing and a representative will be appearing on Channel 4 News tonight to address the allegations.

ATA categorically denies any wrongdoing.

Between 2019 and 2021, Andy Hall, a labour rights activist in south east Asia, received repeated complaints from whistleblowers about forced working conditions at ATA and contacted Dyson to raise the alarm.

Dyson’s billionaire chairman and founder, Sir James Dyson, took the controversial decision to move its manufacturing base from the UK to Malaysia in 2002.

The ATA IMS group produces millions of parts and products each year for Dyson – including components for the Dyson Cool and Hot+Cool devices, Dyson Pure Cool devices; Dyson cordless vacuum cleaners including the V7, V8, V10 and V11 models, Dyson lighting products and Dyson electronic haircare products.