KUALA LUMPUR – Top Glove Corp Bhd today confirmed that some workers at four of its facilities have tested positive for Covid-19.
In a statement, the company said the facilities are in Port Dickson, Sg Puloh in Klang, Kulim and Shah Alam.
“All employees at our facility in Port Dickson underwent screening with the Health Ministry on January 14, and the affected employees are currently under quarantine.
“Foreign workers who are under quarantine are in designated quarters, while Malaysian staff are undergoing quarantine at home.
“Top Glove is also arranging for the employees at our factory in Sg Puloh, Klang, to undergo mass screening today.
“For another two facilities where there have been some cases, in Kulim and Shah Alam, contact tracing and screening are under way, regardless of whether the employees are displaying symptoms.”
The firm will bear all the related costs for its workers, both foreign and local.
Top Glove said the affected employees’ primary contacts over the last 14 days have been identified and placed under quarantine, and will undergo subsequent tests before they are allowed back at work.
A disinfection of the premises, including workers’ living quarters and company vehicles used by the virus-positive employees, has been conducted by a professional third-party provider, it said.
The company had courted criticism for terminating Nepali Yubaraj Khadka as a quality assessor on September 23 last year, after he was identified as the person who shared photographs of crowding in a factory.
“Not only was the workers’ accommodation area overcrowded and poorly ventilated, (but) physical distancing was also not enforced in the factory, despite it being a requirement amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I didn’t know they would fire me for doing this,” he had said, adding that he only found out later that Top Glove staff were not allowed to take or share photos of their workplace.
In another case, a Nepali security guard working for Top Glove died of Covid-19 complications last month.
Yam Narayan Chaudhary, who was stationed at the firm’s 13th factory in Meru, Klang, died on December 12. The company had admitted him to the nearest hospital on November 21.
Ever since the Teratai cluster was established in and around its Meru factories, Top Glove has come under intense scrutiny by the media and local authorities.
As of yesterday, the cluster – the country’s biggest – had a total of 6,934 infections.
The Labour Department has opened 19 investigation papers in five states over allegations that the company flouted the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990, and will refer its findings to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Top Glove has parried claims of abuse, saying it already spent millions to improve living conditions in Meru and will invest a further RM100 million to build new hostels and amenities for 7,300 workers over the next three years. – The Vibes, January 16, 2021
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