US probing Goodyear Malaysia over working conditions

KUALA LUMPUR – US tyre manufacturer Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co labour practices at its Malaysian factory is under further scrutiny after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) questioned five of its current and former employees about working conditions.

Reuters reported that the DHS questioning could lead to prosecution as the troubled company is facing ongoing suits and investigations by Malaysian and American regulators on its treatment of foreign workers.

The current and former employees were also quizzed on the details of suits they filed against the company, a police complaint alleging threats from Goodyear staff and workplace accidents as well as documents linked to their employment.

Meanwhile, Goodyear said in a statement to Reuters that an independent social auditing firm has been retained to inspect working and housing conditions.

Aside from the DHS, representatives of the Malaysian government's Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Council (Mapo) sat in on some of the virtual interviews.

Former Mapo chief Mohd Hadzwan Zulkefle was quoted by Reuters as saying that the council has opened an investigation into Goodyear Malaysia over labour trafficking but declined to confirm if it is a collaboration with the US body.

In June, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co lost a legal dispute involving more than 100 migrant workers at its Malaysian factory.

The industrial court ordered the company to settle wages owed to 109 employees and comply with a collective agreement, reported Reuters.

The court ruled in favour of the foreign workers in two cases last year, saying they are entitled to the same benefits as their local counterparts.

On May 31, it was reported that six current and former foreign workers, as well as Labour Department officials, said the firm made wrongful salary deductions, required excessive hours and denied workers full access to their passports.

Goodyear was fined last year for overworking and underpaying its foreign workforce, the Labour Department confirmed.

The company was slapped with a RM41,500 penalty over nine violations of labour laws with regard to excessive hours and wrongful salary deductions. – The Vibes, November 24, 2021