US bars Malaysian glove maker Supermax over alleged labour abuses
The United States has barred imports from Malaysian glove maker Supermax Corp over alleged forced labour practices at the company, the fourth Malaysian firm to face such a ban in the past 15 months.
(MMO) – Malaysian factories — which make everything from palm oil to medical gloves and iPhone components — have increasingly come under scrutiny over allegations of abuse of foreign workers, who form a significant part of the country’s manufacturing workforce.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a ‘Withhold Release Order’ that prohibits imports from Supermax based on reasonable information that indicates the use of forced labour in the company’s manufacturing operations, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
“With 10 of the 11 forced labour indicators identified during the course of our investigation, CBP has ample evidence to conclude that Supermax and its subsidiaries produce gloves in violation of US trade law,” said AnnMarie R. Highsmith, Executive Assistant Commissioner at the CBP Office of Trade.
