"Slave-like" Conditions of Migrant Workers Making Rubber Gloves in Malaysia Exposed

Strategic Insights -

Migrant workers employed in the rubber glove industry in Malaysia face "slave-like" conditions, including long hours, low pay, and illegal recruitment fees, according to human rights groups. The industry has been under scrutiny for its treatment of workers, who are mostly impoverished migrants from Bangladesh and Nepal. Despite the government's efforts to protect frontline NHS staff from coronavirus, the exploitation of migrant workers in Malaysia remains a pressing concern.

Key Takeaways:

  • Illegal recruitment fees, long hours, low pay, passport confiscation, and squalid, overcrowded accommodation are commonplace among migrant workers in Malaysia's rubber glove industry.
  • Workers have reported having to pay high fees in their home countries to secure their jobs, worked up to 30 days without rest, and were penalised if they complained.
  • The government has been criticised for its failure to provide sufficient personal protective equipment to NHS staff, leaving some doctors and nurses to cobble together their own protective kits.
  • Around 3 to 4 million migrant workers in Malaysia are mostly low-wage workers from Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Indonesia, with most paying illegal recruitment fees to brokers.
  • The US government banned the import of gloves from WRP, a company cited for evidence of forced labour, but the ban was lifted after the company claimed to be no longer producing gloves under forced labour conditions.
  • Workers' rights activist Andy Hall claims that worker abuse is still widespread in the industry, despite some minor improvements.
  • NHS Supply Chain, which manages the sourcing, delivery, and supply of healthcare products for the NHS, has contracts with companies that have been accused of exploiting migrant workers.

Statistics:

  • £7 per day: the lowest amount earned by some migrant workers in Malaysia.
  • £75m: the amount spent by the NHS on rubber gloves in 2018.
  • 88.5 million: the number of gloves bought by the government in March from Supermax, a Malaysian firm.
  • 3-4 million: the estimated number of migrant workers in Malaysia, mostly low-wage workers from Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Indonesia.
  • £4,000: the amount some migrant workers pay in illegal recruitment fees to brokers.

Sources:

  • "Government urged to protect migrant workers making medical gloves in Malaysia" by Pete Pattisson (The Guardian).
  • "Business and Human Rights Resource Centre: Commentary on the rubber glove industry in Malaysia".
  • "Modern Slavery Statement" published by the UK government in March 2020.
  • "US government bans gloves from company accused of forced labour" by Andy Hall (Workers' rights activist).
  • "NHS Supply Chain statement" by NHS Supply Chain spokesperson.