Foreign Workers Satisfied with Wages, BenefitsForeign Workers Satisfied with Wages, BenefitsForeign Workers Satisfied with Wages, BenefitsForeign Workers Satisfied with Wages, Benefits
  • Who We Are
    • About Us
    • Sime Darby Plantation Worldwide
    • Our Journey
    • Our Products
    • Our Leaders
    • Our Awards and Recognitions
    • Corporate Governance
  • What We Do
    • Our Strategy
    • Our Businesses
  • Innovation
    • Overview
    • GenomeSelect™
    • Precision Agriculture
    • Automating Plantations
    • Eco-Solutions
    • Food Science
    • Innovation Challenge
  • Sustainability
    • Overview
    • Climate Action
    • Human Rights
    • Responsible Sourcing
    • Reports, Policies and Statements
  • Our People
    • Growing Together
    • Opportunities
    • What Do Our People Say?
    • Connect With Us
  • Investor Relations
    • Overview
    • Stock and Shareholder Information
    • Financial Information
    • Operational Information
    • Investor Resources
    • Analyst Coverage
    • ESG Index and Credit Ratings
    • Bursa Announcements
    • Annual Reports and Presentations
Procurement
#SDPnetzero

Foreign Workers Satisfied with Wages, Benefits

  • Home
  • In The News
  • Foreign Workers Satisfied with Wages, Benefits
28 September 2020
SOURCE: New Straits Times

Foreign Workers Satisfied with Wages, Benefits

Foreign Workers Satisfied with Wages, Benefits
Sime Darby Plantation Bhd is the world’s largest oil palm plantation company by planted area.

28 Sep 2020 - MORE than two months ago, Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (Sime Plantation) was hit by allegations of wage theft, forced and child labour, bribery and money laundering from a Hong Kong-based activist group. It had also called for the United States to ban imports of the company’s products.

Sime Plantation, the world’s largest oil palm plantation company by planted area, has denied the allegations. It said as a multinational listed company operating in 16 countries and serving the interests of a large number of stakeholders, it had put in place a robust framework, policies and operating procedures on corporate governance, risk management and internal controls that extended beyond the regulatory and commercial requirements.

The activist group claimed it found presence of labour abuse in Sime Plantation after conducting interviews with workers and civil society, and scrutinising public disclosures, audit reports, and sustainability initiatives.

The New Straits Times recently visited Sime Plantation’s Tennamaram Estate in Bestari Jaya, Selangor to gain an insight into the group’s migrant worker management systems and practices.

The 1,840ha estate boasts a total of 165 workers comprising 59 locals and 106 from Indonesia, India and Bangladesh.

These workers are involved in harvesting ripe fruits, pruning trees, applying fertilisers, transporting fruit bunches to mills and spraying herbicides.

We sat down with three workers from Indonesia, India and Bangladesh who shared their experiences working at the estate.

WAGES AND OVERTIME

Sinah, 37, from Indonesia, said Sime Plantation had always set productivity targets that were fair for the satisfactory completion of alloted work during a normal working day of eight hours, or spread over a period of 10 hours (overtime).

He said workers were not imposed with targets that were tied to their basic salary, which was important.

“I had known about Sime Plantation from my family and friends before coming to Malaysia. They said working with the group will guarantee you a minimum wage, and yes, it’s true. The information on payment is clearly provided during the orientation, too.”

Asked if they had faced issues of abuse, including non-payment of wages, forced confinement and excessive working hours with no rest days or breaks, and child labour, Sinah said there was no such thing happening at Tennamaram Estate.

“I did not see any indications of forced and child labour here. We have the choice to work overtime and I can confirm that there are no issues regarding lack of over time pay and rest.

“Even during this Covid-19 pandemic, our minimum wage is guaranteed with no wage deductions,” he said.

HOUSING AND FACILITIES

Tennamaram Estate general worker from Bangladesh, Omer Farok, 35, said Sime Plantation had provided fair and equal employment opportunities for employees, regardless of race, nationality, religion or gender.

“I have been working here for almost five years, and I did not find any discriminatory practices against us (migrant workers).”

He said all workers also enjoyed productivity-based income initiatives and other benefits.

These include free housing, sub sid is ed electricity, free potable water of up to 50 gallons every month, supply of rice, cooking oil and other grocery items, free medical treatment for employees and their immediate dependents, as well as amenities such as recreational facilities and festival celebrations.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Bappa Mondal from India said Sime Plantation provided workers with adequate equipment and training on the implementation of health and safety policies.

Mondal felt that Sime Plantation was a safe place to work and he was also aware about the standard procedures for reporting and responding to injuries in the workplace.

“I have been working with Sime Plantation for three years. I am generally happy with the provision of light machines that have aided in my work.

“I am also satisfied with the company’s policy of providing free personal protective equipment and tools because some of my friends who work with other plantation companies need to buy their own.”

He said since the Recovery Movement Control Order period, Sime Plantation had conducted additional daily operating procedures for all workers to ensure their safety.

Share

Related posts

24 March 2022

Pioneering App Improves Housing for Plantation Workers


Read more
23 February 2022

We Must Work Together to Stop Today’s Slave Trade


Read more
6 September 2021

Peluang Pekerjaan di Operasi Perladangan Sime Darby Plantation


Read more
WHO WE ARE

About Us
Sime Darby Plantation Worldwide
Our Journey
Our Products
Our Leaders
Our Awards and Recognitions
Corporate Governance

INNOVATION

Overview
GenomeSelect™
Precision Agriculture
Automating Plantations
Eco-Solutions
Food Science
Innovation Challenge

SUSTAINABILITY

Overview
Climate Action
Human Rights
Responsible Sourcing
Reports, Policies and Statements

INVESTOR RELATIONS

Overview
Stock and Shareholder Information
Financial Information
Operational Information
Investor Resources
Analyst Coverage
ESG Index and Credit Ratings
Bursa Announcements
Annual Reports and Presentations

WHAT WE DO

Our Strategy
Our Businesses

Web Design Company

MEDIA

Press Releases and Public Updates
Resource Centre
Notices

OUR PEOPLE

Growing Together
Opportunities
What Do Our People Say?
Connect With Us

CONTACT US

© Copyright Sime Darby Plantation Berhad.
All Rights Reserved.

Terms of Use Important Notice Personal Data Protection Act 2010

    #SDPnetzero



      This website uses cookies in order to offer you the most relevant information. Please accept cookies for optimal performance.

      Read More



      Accept

      Ignore


      Manage consent

      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
      Necessary
      Always Enabled
      Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
      CookieDurationDescription
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
      viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
      Functional
      Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
      Performance
      Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
      Analytics
      Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
      Advertisement
      Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
      Others
      Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
      SAVE & ACCEPT
    • How we use Cookies

      A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

      We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

      A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.

      You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.