In a statement, he said the cooperation could be undertaken through the framework of Malaysia’s National Action Plan on Forced Labour (NAPFL) launched last year and that he would meet with US and UK diplomats on the matter.

Yesterday, US ambassador Brian McFeeters and UK high commissioner Charles Hay in a joint statement titled “Let’s join forces to end forced labour practices in supply chains” expressed their countries’ readiness to share their experiences with Malaysia in facing the challenges on the issue of forced labour.

Saravanan said human trafficking, which also included aspects of forced labour, was a major challenge faced by the country, especially his ministry, in protecting workers’ rights and ensuring compliance with the country’s labour laws.

He said the ministry was committed to addressing the issue systematically with proposed amendments to the Employment Act 1955 (Act 265) next March by including provisions related to forced labour.

Saravanan said the ministry had also been instructed to continue working with diplomatic delegations from source countries other than the International Labour Organization (ILO) regarding the issue.

“The issue of forced labour has become one of the main points of discussion in bilateral cooperation negotiations with (Malaysia’s) source countries for foreign workers.

“My ministry will also collaborate with the ILO to organise a National Dialogue on Forced Labour in March which will involve all stakeholders,” he said.