Bangladeshi migrant workers demand justice over wage theft, forced labour in Malaysia

Hundreds of Bangladeshi migrant workers who faced severe exploitation in Malaysia are demanding justice, compensation, and urgent intervention from both the Bangladeshi and Malaysian governments after years of alleged wage theft, forced labour conditions, and retaliation.

At a press conference held today (10 November) in front of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment in Dhaka, the Migrant Welfare Network (MWN), a coalition representing Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia and Bangladesh, called attention to the plight of 431 migrant workers employed by two Malaysian companies, including Mediceram Sdn Bhd and Kawaguchi Manufacturing Sdn Bhd.

According to MWN, workers at Mediceram endured years of late wage payments, threats, and poor living conditions, while their passports were allegedly confiscated, leaving many without valid permits and at risk of arrest.

In early November, 15 workers were deported after demanding work permit renewals and repayment of recruitment fees for colleagues. Worker leaders who tried to negotiate were allegedly deported in retaliation. 

An OECD complaint has been filed against Ansell, an Australian company that sources gloves from Mediceram, over alleged complicity in forced labour.

"We asked for our rights as humans but were treated like animals," said Nironjan, a recently deported worker leader.

"Speaking up led to deportation and harassment, but we will continue to fight for justice," he added. 

At Kawaguchi Manufacturing, which previously supplied major brands including Sony, Panasonic, and Daikin, workers reportedly went seven months without pay in 2024. 

Although international buyers later reimbursed some recruitment fees and hardship payments, the company's Taiwanese owner closed the factory without settling approximately MYR3 million (Malaysian Ringgits) in unpaid wages owed to 251 workers, despite a Malaysian Department of Labour (JTK) consent order mandating payment.

"We suffered for months without food or salary. When the company closed, we were left with nothing, said Omar Faruq, a former Kawaguchi worker forced to leave Malaysia.

"Thousands of migrant workers still face the same injustice," he added.

Failures of protection

MWN accused the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur and the expatriates' welfare ministry in Dhaka of failing to protect the victims, instead creating a "climate of fear and retaliation."

The organisation called for immediate compensation for deported workers, a ban on abusive employers such as Mediceram's owner Arumugam Suppiah Datu, and reform of both Bangladesh's migration system and Malaysia's labour enforcement mechanisms.

MWN also urged international buyers to ensure transparency and accountability across their supply chains, stressing that migrant labourers are essential to both Malaysia's industrial success and Bangladesh's economy.

"These workers have built Malaysia's industries and sustained Bangladesh through their remittances. They deserve justice, not deportation, debt, or silence," MWN said.