Malaysia slams US ban on rubber glove maker Top Glove after claims company used forced labour

Import ban on the company, amid suspicions of forced labour, is ‘unfair’ and ‘baseless’, says Human Resources Minister N. Saravanan

The firm’s gloves have been in high demand due to the coronavirus

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A worker tests a glove at a Top Glove factory outside Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:30pm, 21 Jul 2020Updated: 10:52am, 22 Jul 2020

Corrected [10:50am, 22 Jul, 2020]

[10:50am, 22 Jul, 2020]
An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Top Glove had been accused of withholding wages.

Malaysia came out swinging in defence of home-grown rubber glove maker Top Glove on Tuesday, criticising a US ban on its goods as “baseless”.

US Customs placed a detention order on imports of products made by subsidiaries of Top Glove, the world’s largest glove manufacturer, last week over suspicions it was linked to forced labour.

But Malaysia’s Human Resources Minister N. Saravanan blasted the decision, saying problems at the company had been exaggerated and demanding the US prove the allegations.

“I instructed the Labour Department to investigate and it was found most of the accusations are baseless. There are some shortcomings which can be resolved, such as accommodation, but it’s not as bad as [agencies abroad say],” the minister said.

“It is unfair to come into a country and just ban the industry,” he added, saying that Top Glove had been “blamed and accused for no reason”.

He said he would visit the company and invite representatives of the US embassy to join him.

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