Its executive director, Lim Cheong Guan, said he was surprised by the statement because the hostels were in good condition during the minister’s recent visit.
He added that the company was now seeking clarification with the HR ministry on the areas in which improvement was needed.
“We also welcome him to visit our hostels again,” Lim said during a live-streamed press conference today.
The Star reported yesterday that Saravanan said that checks on the Top Glove factories in Klang revealed “deplorable” conditions at the workers’ housing.
“We are not merely sending a team to check on the conditions at Top Glove. It will be the entire Labour Department,” he was quoted as saying by the English-language daily.
The glove manufacturer is being sharply scrutinised for its link to the Teratai cluster affecting Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, which recorded 4,036 cases so far as at Nov 24. The cluster contributed to almost all of the new cases in the two states over the last two days.
On Monday, the National Security Council ordered Top Glove to shut down 28 of its factories in Meru, Klang. One of its workers’ hostels in the area had also been placed under an enhanced movement control order (EMCO) from Nov 17.
Lim said among the improvements made in terms of workers’ housing include buying and renting 100 new housing units for workers who had been previously staying in the over-crowded hostels.
He added that the company was continuously improving workers’ accommodation, and had invested tens of millions of ringgit so far.
“It was irresponsible for some to speak ill of our operations,” Lim said, adding that Top Glove was also looking to improve the situation as soon as possible.
He also expects a downward trend in new Covid-19 cases among Top Glove staff in the coming weeks.
Lim said since the cases were first detected earlier this month, the company had adhered to the SOPs to combat the spread of Covid-19, including daily body temperature readings, physical distancing in the premises and accommodations, as well as in the buses that transport workers.
On the import ban from the US Customs and Border Protection, Lim said the US government agency has been very professional and understanding about their present situation.
“We have communicated with them, and they know we’re going through a rough patch.”
He added that they still hoped to get the ban lifted, which was imposed in July after forced labour allegations were made against the company, adding that they have been going above and beyond to address the issues.
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