The minister has instructed JTK to investigate in depth over the allegation

by SHAFIQQUL ALIFF / Pic by TMR FILE PIX

THE Ministry of Human Resources (MoHR) has instructed its agency, the Labour Department (JTK), to investigate in detail the report of alleged forced labour among employees of electronic manufacturing service provider ATA IMS Bhd recently.

MoHR Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan (picture) said he had visited the factory located in Johor on Wednesday and was satisfied with the report submitted by the company to him.

“Personally, I am satisfied with the explanation of ATA IMS. I also saw the working environment and the factory conditions were all in order, some stated that (reports) of forced labour were misinterpreted, but I instructed JTK to investigate in depth,” he told reporters after the closing ceremony of job@mykomuniti at Pangsapuri Enggang, Bandar Kinrara, yesterday.

On Nov 25, Reuters reported Dyson Operations Pte Ltd and Dyson Manufacturing Sdn Bhd had terminated their contracts with ATA IMS following an audit of accepted labour practices.

Reuters through the news article also informed that a former ATA IMS employee who was interviewed, claimed to have been taken to the police station for questioning for sharing information about the condition of the factory to activists before being beaten by the police.

Meanwhile, Saravanan said the job@mykomunity, a pilot project organised by the Malaysian Social Welfare Community Association (MyKomunity), is in line with the government’s efforts to provide more employment opportunities, especially to urbanites as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the launch of job@mykomunity is to drive ends strong after reaching out to 250 jobseekers from Klang Valley’s B40 (bottom 40% income), blue-collar and public housing communities, as well as over 40 companies with more than 400 vacancies to offer Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

“Using both digital means as well as a ‘boots-on-the-ground’ approach, the aim is to reach out to as many B40, blue-collar and public housing communities to seek out as many jobseekers from each of these communities as possible, as well as put a face and soul to MyKomunity while building a relationship of trust with each person.

“Everyone employed will then have a chance to grow, develop and, in short, make more money. Our hope is to get Malaysians back on their feet so that they may provide for their families and continue to educate our younger generation for the future of the nation,” he added further.

MyKomunity founder and chairperson Datuk Seri Devan Vidondaraja said the primary objective of MyKomunity is to help people find jobs since many Malaysians abruptly found themselves at the mercy of others after losing their jobs due to the pandemic.

He added that these placements will have easy entry points and have the training and reskilling provided which makes Malaysians will not only be employed with a steady income but will now have new skills rendering them more versatile in this current economic environment with growth opportunities.