KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — IOI Corp Bhd said it will contact the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to confirm the existence of an investigation and offer its cooperation in providing explanation and documents to assist in the investigation.
The company was referring to a letter dated May 26 from the CBP to one Andy Hall, a migrant worker rights specialist, “which acknowledges the receipt of a petition providing information on alleged forced labour conditions at IOI Group in Malaysia, and that CBP has determined the information is sufficient to investigate the merits of the allegation.
In a filing with Bursa Malaysia today, IOI Corp said the letter “has been circulated among certain parties" and that it has yet to be contacted by CBP with regard to the investigation.
IOI Corp said that as a founding member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and among the first Malaysian companies to announce a zero recruitment fees policy, the company is well aware of the importance of its workers’ rights and working conditions, as well as the requirement to adhere to Malaysian labour laws an international labour standards.
“We have been working with a number of local and international labour rights experts and non-governmental organisations during the last five years to monitor the implementation of our labour policies and provide recommendations on improving our labour policies, practices and conditions in our plantations.
“We recognise that this is an ongoing process and will endeavour to achieve our objective of being an exemplary company in this area,” it added.
— Bernama
