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The global palm oil industry certification body has quoted FGV Holdings Bhd for alleged illegal and unethical work practices, which would be contrary to labor laws Malaysian and international.
In a recent letter The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), sent to the FGV, said its investigations, which included independent verification visits conducted from 26 to 28 April this year in several areas and factories of the FGV, revealed that the company had carried out forced labor, as well as acts "committed in the context of trafficking in persons".
The RSPO's investigations stem from a complaint lodged by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in 2015 with the body in application of a investigation report he published the same year allegations of abuse committed in the oil palm fields in Malaysia.
The certification body added that, in view of the report of its independent auditors and the comments made to the FGV, the latter was required to carry out a legal and operational audit of its current recruitment practices without delay in order to eliminate the elements of the work. forced according to local and European regulations. international laws.
"The Complaints Panel (RSPO) finds the following […] Under written agreements, FGV subcontracted its foreign workers to FGV subcontractors, in violation of Malaysian laws, which may be considered an act to promote human trafficking.
"FGV recruitment and employment processes need to be further improved as forced labor indicators are present and cumulative, indicating a violation of the RSPO (Principle and Criteria) P & C 6.12, including related issues. the replacement of the contract, the freedom to contract and the resignation, the passport and the detention and the workers 'freedom of movement and working and living conditions of the workers'.
"The inability of FGV to control and supervise its subcontractors, including its employees, exacerbates the aforementioned shortcomings, perpetuating unethical recruitment practices. […], "the RSPO said in its letter of 28 November.
Among the detailed violations listed in the letter, there were allegations that FGV had failed to secure valid work contracts detailing the payments and working conditions to be negotiated with the workers, including those recruited by contractors.
Bases of supply
The workers would not have been granted the right to terminate their contract of employment, while "potential discriminatory practices" between local and foreign workers have been identified, the latter point that FGV has not denied, he added.
In addition, the RSPO stated that the results indicated that, although the FGV provides a monthly subsidy for water and electricity, as well as periodic medical examinations for renewal of the contract, there would be nothing to show that the FGV was was consistent with its requirements for the provision of adequate and affordable services. water and electricity, and periodic medical examinations.
FGV has also not been able to demonstrate that the alleged hiring of undocumented or illegal workers, reported in the 2015 WSJ report and to which an FGV contractor was admitted when interviewed by the RSPO, "has so far been duly audited / reviewed and corrected all its plantations".
As a result of its findings, the letter stated that the RSPO Secretariat had ordered the organization to suspend the certificate of one of the FGV's palm oil mills in Negeri Sembilan and of its supply bases.
The suspension must be lifted provided that FGV complies with the guidelines of the RSPO, which provided for a legal review and audit, as well as the submission and subsequent implementation of a plan of action.
Otherwise, the body stated that it could impose sanctions, without however specifying the nature of the sanctions.
Malaysiakini contacted FGV, who said he would send an answer later in the day.
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