‘I don’t feel safe’: Migrants making protective gloves for hospitals allege labour abuse and exploitation

‘Sometimes they don’t treat us like humans, they insult us, or beat us,’ worker tells Caleb Quinley

(AFP)

Every morning Ramtaspa* wakes to the intense heat inside his cramped dorm, a small room where more than a dozen other Nepali migrant workers sleep. The temperature is almost unbearable. Laundry hangs from bunk beds while small fans work to barely cool down the densely populated and cluttered accommodation in Malaysia.

He dreads having to face another day working in the factory. In the early hours of the morning, he waits outside the front entrance along with hundreds of other migrants to clock in for another 12-hour shift under strict supervision. There’s a palpable sense of misery, as many workers like him feel neglected, mistreated and unsafe during the pandemic.

Malaysia is the world’s largest supplier of disposable rubber gloves, and with a global shortage of PPE, companies are increasing production. Some of those working in two of the country’s largest glove factories tell The Independent they are working in unsafe conditions, without proper pay, and are often subjected to verbal and physical abuse from their employers.