The ministry said the withdrawal of the withhold release order by the US Customs and Border Patrol on Supermax Corporation Bhd and its three subsidiaries was the result of the company’s continuous initiatives and enforcement measures by the ministry.

The import ban was imposed on Oct 21 two years ago based on indicators of forced labour practices, including illegal deduction of wages and non-conducive accommodation, in the company’s operations.

The ministry said the ban was withdrawn due to improvements by the company to eradicate such elements, Bernama reported.

It said the labour department had carried out a series of statutory inspections to ensure compliance with labour laws in terms of payment of salaries, working hours, service contracts and accommodation.

“The inspections found that the employer had implemented a remediation plan involving 1,957 foreign workers amounting to RM25.67 million,” the ministry said.