A worker at a Top Glove factory outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Reuters
A worker at a Top Glove factory outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Reuters

Coronavirus boom for Malaysia’s rubber glove industry loses shine amid worker rights abuses

  • The pandemic has sent demand for rubber gloves rocketing, giving a boon to both firms such as Top Glove and the wider Malaysian economy
  • But as investors point the finger over workers’ living conditions, experts say action is needed to keep ahead of competitors in China and Southeast Asia