Malaysia’s medical glove industry was under pressure to crack down on labour abuses on Thursday after the United States blocked imports from the world’s largest manufacturer, with demand for the product surging due to the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it had placed a detention order on imports of products made by subsidiaries of Malaysia’s Top Glove, “based on reasonable evidence of forced labour in the manufacturing process”. Top Glove said it was seeking details on the order, which it said may be related to recruitment fees paid by migrant workers to employment agents.
