Top Glove's rising COVID-19 cases: Why it matters

Siti Farhana Sheikh Yahya
November 24, 2020 16:40 MYT
The government announced that Top Glove worker dormitories have been placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) from Nov 17 to Nov 30. - Astro AWANI/ Shahir Omar
What’s going on?
What happened after?
Why it matters?
Top Glove has benefitted in being the world largest rubber glove-maker’s factories during the COVID-19 pandemic as demand for medical gloves exponentially increases.
The Edge Markets has reported that Top Glove commands a 26 per cent share of the global market, with a production capacity of 80.2 billion pieces per annum.
With the closure of several its factories, analysts are saying they might lead to a temporary shortage of gloves globally as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
The news has also caught the attention of many who highlighted the negligence of the company in protecting its workers against the virus.

Top Glove is just another example of how no matter which govt is in power, greedy capitalists will always get their way, even if it kills everyone else

— Dafrosty (@Dafrosty) November 23, 2020
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The most ironic Covid-19 story in Malaysia has got to be Top Glove. As the worlds biggest rubber gloves manufacturers that export essential supplies in times of crisis (NHS included) they still fail to protect their own workers from the virus, with more than 1k infected.

— Rahmah Ghazali (@rahmahghazali) November 23, 2020
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Kluster Teratai is not due to public non-compliance. It is the inevitable result of the predatory exploitation of migrant labor by corporations like Top Glove If they're unaccountable, the surges will continue cyclically like the water disruptions; a product of similar impunity.

— Rohan Javet Beg (@RohanBeg) November 23, 2020
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Former Youth and Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, has also called for the company to pay Windfall tax for its failure to protect its workers and its "supernormal profits" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kenyataan saya berkenaan Top Glove, Kluster Teratai dan Windfall Tax. Prioriti saya adalah kepada rakyat, bukan syarikat-syarikat besar dan kaya.#Belanjawan2021 pic.twitter.com/2OecyjQ3a2

— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) November 23, 2020
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In the past months, Top Glove has been caught violating several labour practices.
On July 13, Human Resources Ministry carried out a raid at Top Glove's headquarters in Meru, Klang, and found that Movement Control Order (MCO)rules were breached, and foreign staff were provided with cramped quarters.
While the glove maker was cleared of forced labour offence, the company was compounded by the Ministry of Health Malaysia and was issued a compliance notice by the Ministry Housing and Local Government.
In a June report by United Kingdom’s Channel 4, the company has been accused of making illegal deductions from workers’ salaries and placing workers in appalling conditions in hostels with barely any protection measures.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has also placed a detention order on disposable gloves manufactured by two of its subsidiaries, Top Glove Sdn Bhd and TG Medical Sdn Bhd, on July 16 for issues relating to abuse of foreign labour.
#Top Glove #COVID-19 #EMCO #foreign workers #Health Ministry #labour practice #Syed Saddiq
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