Multinational corporation comes to aid of Bangladeshi workers
International Rights Advocates said the case involving the Bangladeshi workers is a powerful reminder that change is possible when corporations genuinely embrace accountability and collaboration.
PETALING JAYA : A Japanese multinational corporation has stepped forward to provide monetary aid to 283 Bangladeshi workers who had reportedly gone without pay for seven months last year, an international human rights group said.
Sony took 'meaningful and proactive steps to assist the workers, including providing much-needed financial assistance', International Rights Advocates (IRAdvocates) said.
However, it did not disclose the amount.
'IRAdvocates applauds Sony for taking a constructive approach towards this situation and is grateful to Sony for its cooperation,' the group's founder and executive director, Terrence Collingsworth, said in a statement.
Collingsworth said that when issues concerning the migrant workers first surfaced, IRAdvocates raised the matter with their previous employer, Kawaguchi Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, and certain manufacturers who were Kawaguchi's downstream customers.
One such manufacturer was Sony, he said.
To its credit, Sony raised its concerns with Kawaguchi and requested that the company promptly implement corrective measures after the allegations emerged, he said.
He said Sony also stopped doing business with Kawaguchi.
Collingsworth said the Kawaguchi case is a powerful reminder that change is possible when corporations genuinely embrace accountability and collaboration.
'IRAdvocates applaud Sony's constructive action, highlighting a path forward where companies uphold human rights sincerely, beyond mere words and empty promises,' he said.
On Dec 18, it was reported that Kawaguchi had agreed to pay its foreign employees their overdue salaries, with the Putrajaya labour office agreeing to arrange for them to be employed by other companies.
The company reached the decision five days after the workers held a peaceful protest outside the factory in Port Klang to demand the salaries owed to them.
Separately, migrant labour rights activist Andy Hall, who referred the case to Collingsworth late last year, said Sony should be applauded for emulating Daikin Industries Ltd.
In December, it was reported that Daikin, the world's largest air-conditioner manufacturer, contributed US$12,000 in emergency food and medical aid to the affected foreign workers. It also provided an additional amount of financial aid to each worker.
'The money Sony has provided is significant and will provide yet more respite for these victims of modern slavery, who remain in severe situations of debt bondage,' Hall told FMT.
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