Ayamas denies migrant worker mistreatment at chicken processing plant

September 8, 2023

Ayamas denies migrant worker mistreatment at chicken processing plant

PETALING JAYA: Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd has denied allegations of migrant worker mistreatment levelled at a chicken processing factory in the Klang Valley.

In a statement to FMT, Ayamas asserted that all its facilities maintain strict safety procedures and adhere to good manufacturing practice standards, citing over two decades of experience.

“This is especially true for employees with any contact with the product. They are given industry-standard protective gear that includes masks which are certified and compliant with prevailing guidelines,” the company said.

Ayamas acknowledged there had been delays in the payment of salaries to its workers, but attributed them to the processing time taken to secure work permits and complete employer transfers as required by the human resource ministry.

As a solution, Ayamas said it applied for permission to pay the salaries in cash and had already advanced to its workers half-month salaries to enable them to meet their immediate spending needs. The company said it paid all salaries in full by the end of August.

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On Sunday, FMT reported a migrant rights activist’s allegation that more than 200 Bangladeshi and Nepali labourers working at a chicken processing factory in the Klang Valley were being threatened with deportation.

Hall said the workers in the receiving area, particularly the Bangladeshi employees, were exposed to unsanitary conditions involving faeces and blood and lacked proper protective gear.

They also only received three months’ worth of salary after the authorities intervened.

In its statement, Ayamas said it conducts regular engagement sessions with its workers. One session involved workers being briefed on employment rules and regulations.

“This was a normal information-sharing session and should not have been misconstrued as a direct or indirect form of threat,” it said.

Ayamas added that it had worked with the human resource ministry to employ the foreign workers after they had been left stranded without the jobs promised to them by others.

“We have been working very closely with the ministry, the immigration department and the Bangladesh High Commission,” the company said.