Latest news with #forcedlabour
Malay Mail
23-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
‘Eager and inexperienced': Fresh grads most at risk of overseas job scams, says Labour Dept
IPOH, May 23 — Fresh graduates who have just completed their studies at institutions of higher learning are found to be the most vulnerable to overseas job scams. The Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia (JTKSM) director-general Kamal Pardi said this is because these individuals are easily deceived by syndicates promising high salaries and various other benefits. 'They (young people) are eager to start working. They have no experience and often fail to verify whether the job offers are legitimate. Most of the offers involve employment abroad. 'This is the reason why many of them fall into the trap and become victims of forced labour,' he said in a press conference after launching the roadshow on Prevention of Labour Exploitation: Towards Zero Forced Labour 2030 at a shopping mall, here today. Kamal said the department strongly encourages jobseekers, especially youths, to register with legitimate job-matching platforms such as the MYFutureJobs portal to find suitable job opportunities and avoid falling victim to employment scams. At the same time, Kamal said the roadshow convoy is part of an integrated initiative to raise public awareness and strengthen collective action against worker exploitation and forced labour in the country. He said the roadshow is expected to travel from Perak to Perlis, with several identified pit-stops to deliver outreach and information directly to targeted communities. 'The programme includes a variety of activities such as talks, community outreach sessions, distribution of printed materials and mini exhibitions related to workers' rights, forms of exploitation and reporting channels. 'The convoy approach enables more comprehensive, inclusive and direct communication with all layers of society,' he said. He added that the programme is also in line with the government's aspiration and international commitment to eradicate forced labour by 2030. — Bernama
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
European supply chain law should be slimmed down, Berlin says
BERLIN, May 21 (Reuters) - The German government clarified on Wednesday that it aimed to "slim down" the European Union's new supply chain audit law but not to scrap it entirely. Some European leaders worry that the law, which requires larger companies to check if their suppliers use forced labour or cause environmental damage, could hurt the bloc's ability to compete with the U.S. and China. French President Emmanuel Macron said this week that the law should be taken "off the table", 10 days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for it to be scrapped during his first visit as chancellor to Brussels. Merz's spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said on Wednesday that Berlin was in talks with the European Commission, the bloc's executive, to reform the law. As part of the EU Commission's reform efforts to reduce bureaucracy, "the aim is to slim down the supply chain law," Kornelius added. In its current form, the law, also known by its acronym CSDDD, would start imposing obligations on companies from 2027.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Former DR Congo PM sentenced to hard labour on corruption charge
A former prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been sentenced to a decade's forced labour for Matata Ponyo was found guilty of embezzling about $245m (£182m) of public funds by the Congolese Constitutional Court on Tuesday, alongside Deogratias Mutombo, the former governor of the DR Congo's central lawyer told Reuters news agency that the ruling was unfair and politically of the funds were taken from a major agricultural development intended to tackle the country's chronic food shortages. Matata served as prime minister of the DRC from 2012 to 2016 and now heads the country's Leadership and Governance for Development party (LGD). Prior to his premiership, he was finance minister and received praise from the International Monetary Fund at the time for stabilising the country's Mutombo, the central bank's former governor, has also been sentenced to five years of forced labour in the same case and has not commented publicly on the ruling. Forced labour is legal in DR Congo when mandated by a court for a criminal penalty, according to the US State Department. Both men have been barred from public service for five years from the end of their terms of forced labour, the AFP news agency reports. Matata, who campaigned against DRC President Felix Tshisekedi in the 2023 vote before dropping out, has consistently denied the case has stretched over almost four years since the country's Inspectorate General of Finance reported the theft from the Bukanga-Lonzo Agro-Industrial Park in park was one of Africa's largest ever agricultural investments according to the Reuters news agency and the African Development Bank Group had expected to provide 22,000 was intended to provide reprieve to the 28 million people who currently face acute food insecurity in DR Congo, which has been plagued by conflict for more than 30 years, since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
French, German leaders call on EU to scrap supply chain audit law
BERLIN/BRUSSELS, May 20 (Reuters) - The leaders of France and Germany have called on the European Union to scrap its new supply chain audit law, worried that it could hurt the bloc's ability to compete economically with the U.S. and China. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday the law, which requires larger companies in the bloc to check if their supply chains use forced labour or cause environmental damage, should be taken "off the table". His comments came 10 days after Germany's Friedrich Merz called for the law to be scrapped during his first visit as chancellor to Brussels. European bureaucracy has come increasingly under fire as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration sets about fulfilling his campaign promise of deregulation. "Clearly we are very aligned now with Chancellor Merz and some other colleagues to go much faster, and (the supply chain law) and some other regulations have not just to be postponed for one year, but put out of the table," Macron told business executives gathered for an investment summit in Versailles. Under pressure from France, which circulated a proposal in January to slow down the implementation of green regulations and indefinitely delay the CSDDD, the EU Commission had already proposed cuts to the law to reduce red tape for European businesses. But before France and Germany's interventions, a full repeal was not on the table, EU diplomats said. In current form, the CSDDD would start imposing obligations from 2027 on companies to find and fix human rights and environmental issues in their supply chains. EU countries are negotiating the proposed changes to the policy, and had hoped to strike a deal in coming months. The elections in February in Europe's largest economy however, bringing to power in Germany economic liberal Merz, has shifted the tone of the discourse. Merz, the author of 2008 book "Dare more capitalism" who spent years working in the private sector, has called for reduced bureaucracy in Germany and in the EU. It remained unclear if this was the German government's position, given differences within the coalition between Merz's conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats. The SPD co-leader has pointed to the two parties' coalition treaty, which calls for eliminating the German supply chain audit law but keeping a reformed EU one. "Just because the French President expresses his opinion doesn't mean that the SPD changes its position," said SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch on Tuesday. "We see the need for supply chains to be legally regulated at the European level."
Free Malaysia Today
15-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Bangladesh clears Malaysia of labour abuse claims, says HR ministry
Human resources minister Steven Sim with Asif Nazrul, adviser to Bangladesh's Expatriates' Welfare Ministry (right), and Lutfey Siddiqi, special envoy for international affairs (left). (HR Ministry pic) PETALING JAYA : The Bangladeshi government has confirmed that Malaysia was not involved in any misconduct concerning the recruitment or treatment of Bangladeshi workers, and voiced its support for Malaysia's firm stance against forced labour and human trafficking. This assurance came during a courtesy visit to human resources minister Steven Sim by two senior Bangladeshi officials – Asif Nazrul, adviser to the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry, and Lutfey Siddiqi, special envoy for international affairs. In a statement, the human resources ministry thanked Bangladesh for recognising Malaysia's efforts to reform the foreign worker recruitment system and crack down on abuse. 'The Bangladeshi side confirmed that Malaysia was not involved in any of the previously raised allegations and voiced its support for our principled and firm stance against human trafficking,' it said. Earlier today, Bloomberg reported that Malaysia had asked Bangladesh to review and withdraw 'unsubstantiated allegations' of wrongdoing in labour migration between the two countries to improve Malaysia's rating in an annual US report on human trafficking. A letter dated April 23, reportedly sent to Neyamat Ullah Bhuiyan, senior secretary of Bangladesh's expatriates' welfare ministry, conveyed Malaysia's concern about the potential impact of the allegations. During today's meeting, the ministry said Sim stressed that foreign worker recruitment should be driven by genuine industry needs, and not for profit. 'This approach aligns with the government's commitment to a more transparent, ethical, and responsibly managed labour system,' it added in the statement. Both nations also agreed to strengthen their coordination through the Joint Working Group (JWG), which will reconvene on May 21-22 in Dhaka to address technical matters related to labour management. 'This visit signals a shared resolve by Malaysia and Bangladesh to build a cross-border labour system grounded in integrity, human rights, and fairness,' the ministry added. Malaysia to recruit nearly 8,000 stranded workers Putrajaya has also agreed to begin processing 7,964 Bangladeshi workers from among the more than 17,000 who were unable to enter Malaysia before the May 31, 2024 deadline, despite meeting all conditions. 'As proposed by Bangladesh, the recruitment process of those workers will be handled by Bangladesh Overseas Employment Services Limited (BOESL),' the Bangladesh high commission in Kuala Lumpur said in a separate statement. The Bangladeshi delegation also held a separate meeting with home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, from whom they requested multiple-entry visas for their workers. 'The Malaysian government informed that they are currently working on a proposal to revisit the provision of a single-entry visa for Bangladeshi workers,' the statement read. The statement also noted that Bangladesh urged Malaysia to consider hiring more skilled and professional Bangladeshi workers, including nurses, doctors, and security personnel. 'The Malaysian minister took positive note of the proposal, especially for the recruitment of nurses and agreed to work at the technical level to explore opportunities for migration in those sectors,' it read.
