Goodyear Malaysia under fire for alleged labourers’ abuse
31 July, 2021
A rights group has asked US authorities to investigate the Malaysian operations of multinational US firm Goodyear Tire & Rubber over accusations of abusive labour practices, Reuters reported.
The move comes after Malaysian glove maker Top Glove has been accused of imposing such practices which earned it an import ban of its products to the US.
Hong Kong-based anti-trafficking group Liberty Shared said its June petition to US customs, based on lawsuits and police reports by migrant workers, was probably the first such effort against a subsidiary of an US-owned company in Southeast Asia.
The conditions and treatment the workers are allegedly enduring seem to meet the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) forced labour indicators, the group’s the managing director, Duncan Jepson, said .
Goodyear points at “strong politics” to protect labourers
In its response to the rights group’s comments, Goodyear emphasised that it had “strong policies” to protect human and labour rights.
“We take seriously any allegations of improper behaviour and are committed to ensuring that our business practices and those of our associates, operations and supply chain adhere to all applicable legal requirements and the requirements in our policies,” a spokesperson said.
US customs reviewing the issue
Malaysia’s largest fund manager, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, which owns 49 per cent of Goodyear Malaysia, did not comment on the issue so far.
Liberty Shared’s Jepson said he understood US customs was pursuing the petition he filed. In an email, the authorities told him they had received the petition on forced labour conditions and were reviewing the information.
Last year, after Liberty Shared accused Malaysian trading conglomerate Sime Darby of forced and child labour, the US customs also blocked its products from entering the US.
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