KUALA LUMPUR – The allegations of terrible working conditions continue to dog ATA Industrial (M) Sdn Bhd, which is based in Johor Baru, with a UK law firm representing the workers alleging unsanitary accommodation and living under constant threat by the factory management.
In a statement released on Thursday, law firm Leigh Day said the workers alleged that they were paid below minimum wage, sometimes earning less than US$10 (RM41.89) per day.
“Many lived in unsanitary and overcrowded living conditions of up to 80 people per room and their movements were restricted by security guards.
“They allege in their legal case that they all had their passports retained for the duration of their employment, making it impossible to find other work so they were trapped working at the ATA factory.”
A group of workers have launched legal claims against Dyson relating to allegations of extensive violations of their legal rights, including forced labour, physical and psychological injuries, false imprisonment, cruel and degrading treatment and exposure to extremely hazardous working conditions.
The law firm said the 10 men and women who have commenced legal proceedings worked in the factory operated by ATA Industrial for between three and nine years.
Appliance brand Dyson is named as ATA Industrial is one of the factories manufacturing products for the UK brand.
According to UK’s Channel 4 News, Dyson and ATA have denied any wrongdoing while Malaysian police did not respond to questions.
Meanwhile, the workers involved in the claim also alleged that they were forced to work overtime with shifts as long as 18 hours and if refused, they would be prevented from working any overtime in the future.
Leigh Day said many workers were allegedly refused annual leave and worked for more than 18 months without taking a break of longer than a day.
“The workers say they were told by ATA Industrial that their work visas would be taken care of but some of them were allowed to lapse, resulting in the workers being in the country illegally. Coupled with the loss of their passports, they lived in constant fear of being arrested.
“Three of the claimants were arrested, spending between 14 and 24 days in jail, where they allege they were beaten by the guards, including one former worker who alleges that he was taken to police by a member of the senior management,” it added.
In the Channel 4 News report, a Nepali worker named Dhan Kumar Limbu, 32, said ATA managers took him to Larkin police station in Johor Baru last June where he claimed that police tortured him during an interrogation.
“When I screamed in pain, he stood on my knees, then hit me on the soles of my feet with a (rubber) pipe. He would stop and then start beating again. I felt so scared,” he alleged.
Channel 4 reported that ATA confirmed they took the worker to the police station, but denied he was beaten.
Eventually, Dhan Kumar left the factory the following month and returned to Nepal.
Dyson lodged its own investigation into the matter, after which Dyson refunded the cost of Dhan Kumar’s return to Nepal.
Dyson later engaged a company to carry out an independent audit and in November, it terminated its contract with ATA Industrial. – The Vibes, February 11, 2022
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