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Air-con giant comes to rescue of unpaid foreign workers

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Daikin Industries Ltd gives US$12,000 to help 251 purchase food and aid items.

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Free Malaysia Today
Foreign workers protesting outside the Kawaguchi Manufacturing Sdn Bhd factory in Port Klang this evening. (Andy Hall pic)

PETALING JAYA:
Daikin Industries Ltd, the world’s largest air-conditioner manufacturer, has contributed US$12,000 to the 251 foreign workers who went without salary for seven months.

The Osaka-based conglomerate said the funds were to purchase food and other related aid, according to migrant labour rights activist Andy Hall.

Hall said Daikin informed him that they were “immediately releasing” the funds today.

He said he is finalising an agreement with a local charity to help with the distribution of the food to the workers at Kawaguchi Manufacturing Sdn Bhd tonight.

The donation comes in the wake of a protest by hundreds of workers outside the Kawaguchi factory in Port Klang earlier today, after they claimed food aid was halted last night.

FMT has contacted Kawaguchi for comment.

Hall said the sum would be “sufficient to cover the workers’ essential food costs, and some basic medical aid” for the next seven days.

The time frame coincides with the purported deadline for the labour department to legalise the foreign workers and find them new jobs.

He said he was informed of the deadline by union leader N Gopal Kishnam, who had met with the labour department’s director-general earlier today.

Gopal, the secretary-general of the Malaysian chapter of IndustriALL – a global union federation – said all 251 workers “would be taken up by a new employer”.

“There’s no need to worry,” he told Hall in a text message.

Hall said he was grateful for Daikin’s response.

“Daikin has shown considerable leadership throughout this dispute and should be praised for its offer at this time of crisis,” he said.

Yesterday it was reported that Kawaguchi agreed to pay their 251 foreign employees up to seven months of overdue salaries.

The company reached the decision five days after the workers held a peaceful protest outside the factory in Port Klang to demand their owed salaries.

They had complained about unpaid wages totalling more than RM3 million since May.

Kawaguchi is reported to be a supplier of components to Sony, Panasonic, and Daikin. The three firms said in September they were looking into allegations of delayed salary payments, forced labour practices, and human rights violations at the company.

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