Sindicatos malayos de la ICM ayudan a trabajadores migrantes en la industria forestal y maderera

BWI affiliates in Malaysia’s wood processing and furniture sectors have provided humanitarian assistance to workers based in Kuala Lumpur (Peninsula Malaysia) and Sabah, as the country emerges from its lockdown dubbed by the government as “movement control order.”

The humanitarian assistance was made possible through the BWI Covid-19 Solidarity Initiative, intended to help workers during the pandemic by providing assistance in a number of areas, including humanitarian provisions, safety equipment and campaign support.

“Malaysia is now returning to work and most of the wood and forestry sector is back in operation. However, workers’ incomes have been severely squeezed since the start of the lockdown,” said Azlan bin Yaacob, General Secretary of the Timber Employees Union of Peninsula Malaysia (TEUPM). 

TEUPM distributed 205 food packs to workers at five furniture companies in the Klang region, including 82 Nepali, Bangladeshi and Myanmar workers at the Lim Teck Lee furniture factory, and 56 Nepali, Bangladeshi and Myanmar workers at the I-Kranji factory.

For its part, the Sabah Timber Industry Employees Union delivered food aid to migrant workers at the Ikut Maju factory in Tawau worksites.

“Most workers in this industry are migrants from Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia, who are working under a ‘no work, no pay’ basis. We are upset that their employers did not do more to support them during the lockdown. We are therefore happy that BWI was able to facilitate needed assistance during these difficult times,” STIEU General Secretary Engrit Liaw said.