[UPDATED] RM20 mil spent on new worker accommodation: Top Glove chairman

KUALA LUMPUR – Top Glove Corp Bhd executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai, in an online press conference today, said the company has spent RM20 million on purchasing 100 units of new accomodation for workers over the past two months.

He added that more accommodation arrangements are ongoing to ensure compliance with relevant laws on housing its staff.

Earlier today, The Star reported that Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan has instructed the entire Labour Department to investigate working and housing conditions at Top Glove factories, following the rising numbers of Covid-19 cases.

Lim said the company has so far stopped production at 16 of its factories in Klang while the remaining were operating at reduced capacity.

However, Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said: “Up until last night, 20 of Top Glove’s factories have been closed. Today, we have managed to close another seven. Now, only one remains.

During his daily briefing, Ismail Sabri assured the public that the sole factory will be closed soon after a task force to handle the matter has been formed.

Meanwhile, Lim said the majority of Top Glove's who tested positive for Covid-19 numbering in the thousands appear to be asymptomatic and in good health, said executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai.

Lim said that despite many of the workers testing positive and being sent to Sg Buloh Hospital for isolation and treatment, they showed no major symptoms such as fever or other illnesses.

He said that many Covid-19 screenings on the workers done in the past had produced false-positive results, and called for further research into screening methods to ensure better test efficacy.

“(So far) they have been just like normal people and do not require treatment at the hospital. After five to 10 days, they are cleared for work. They are all very young, between 20 and 30 years old, so they should not be seen as sick people,” said Lim.

He said there was a general notion that the infected workers were very ill, but it was not the case.

“They are not sick people. We hope the public can understand this. We have been taking care of our staff as they are assets to the company,” said Lim.

Yesterday, Selangor saw 1,673 new Covid-19 cases, most of which came from the Teratai cluster linked to thousands of workers from Top Glove’s 28 factories in Meru, Klang.

It was the highest daily case number recorded by any state since the pandemic began.

As of yesterday, the cluster has seen a total of 4,036 Covid-19 cases.

Lim today said the company has helped coordinate the screenings of at least 6,000 workers so far, and that the testing of remaining staff will be done in stages.

In the meantime, the company is restricting the movements of its workers within the surrounding areas to prevent spreading between communities.

On production capacity, the company is expecting a slower output of its products due to the closures in the coming weeks. 

And while this means that it will have to inform its customers on delays in delivery, Lim said overall productivity was not going to be affected in the long term.

On the possible contamination of Top Glove’s products, Lim said it was unlikely as the manufacturing processes were fully automated and involved minimal direct contact with workers.

“The oven itself is 110 degrees Celsius and the products are placed in hot areas where the virus can hardly survive. Most of the workers are also wearing PPE (personal protective equipment)," he said. – The Vibes, November 25, 2020