Top Glove Corporation Berhad - currently the biggest contributor to the country's COVID-19 cases, has said that it will no longer fire whistleblowers.

Instead, the world's largest rubber gloves maker has set up three helplines to record aggrieved workers' complaints, its managing director Lee Kim Meow told an interview with business radio station BFM.

"If this incident happens today, this termination will not happen because we have engaged consultants and they have guided us on what is the right thing to do," he said.

Lee was referring to the sacking of 27-year-old Nepali worker Yubaraj Khadka who was sacked after he shared photos of fellow employees crowding into a Top Glove factory in May, with a worker rights activist.

According to Lee, one of the helplines will be managed internally, while the other will be manned by a consultant and an audit firm, respectively. He did not say, however, name the external firms involved in the initiative, nor mention what would happen to the complaints logged via the helplines.

He claimed that Top Glove has since improved its processes since the incident involving Yubaraj.

"We actually spoke to him and he admitted his intention was to pass the photo to someone so that basically that someone will use it to discredit Top Glove.

"This episode has taught us many lessons. We are humbled by the fact that there are still a lot of areas for improvement. Needless to say, we will do more," Lee said.

More than 5,000 of Top Glove's workers have been infected with COVID-19 so far. Other glove manufacturers have also reported outbreaks.

Earlier this month, it was reported that 19 investigation papers have been opened against six companies under Top Glove, for violating various laws on workers housing.

These include providing staff dormitories which were congested, and had no proper ventilation, as well as housing workers' dormitories in buildings that are not in compliance with local council's requirements.


Source: FMT, BFM
Photo source: Rojakdaily