KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysia's ministry of human resources has carried out statutory and ad-hoc inspections of rubber goods manufacturers after the country was included in the U.S. 2020 list of goods produced with child or forced labor.
The ministry carried out the inspections to ensure compliance with national labor laws and will continue to monitor and take action against employers failing to adhere to those laws, it said in an Oct. 17 statement.
In addition, following a meeting with the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association and other rubber manufacturing companies, the ministry has set up a task force to monitor the compliance with labor laws and policies by rubber manufacturers.
The task force aims to ensure industry compliance with policies such as hiring of foreign workers, the statement noted.
The move came after a detention order placed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency on shipments from Top Glove in mid-July due to allegations of forced labor.