They also questioned the credibility of the parties behind the report, the basis, methods of assessment and how evidence was gathered before the conclusion was made.
“More than 80% of SME employers who hire foreign workers have embarked on changes and have since improved, especially in their wages and accommodation.“But the overall improvement should have been factored into the report,” he said yesterday. “Our Labour Department in all states did checks and helped businesses change. So it’s not fair and not right to say we have done nothing to change or improve,” he said.
“Apart from launching the National Action Plan on Forced Labour last year, specialised task forces have been set up to address areas of concern and non-compliance within specific industry sectors, especially those that are labour-intensive and have a significant number of migrant employees. Malaysian Consortium of Mid-Tier Companies president Callum Chen said his plastic manufacturing business, which exports 85% of its products mainly to the United States, faced more stringent client audits in recent years due to the TIP Report.