Sime Darby Plantation Extends Palm Oil Industry’s Pioneering Workers Voice Helpline Across Its Malaysian OperationsSime Darby Plantation Extends Palm Oil Industry’s Pioneering Workers Voice Helpline Across Its Malaysian OperationsSime Darby Plantation Extends Palm Oil Industry’s Pioneering Workers Voice Helpline Across Its Malaysian OperationsSime Darby Plantation Extends Palm Oil Industry’s Pioneering Workers Voice Helpline Across Its Malaysian Operations
  • 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

Sime Darby Plantation Extends Palm Oil Industry’s Pioneering Workers Voice Helpline Across Its Malaysian Operations

  • Home
  • Press Releases and Public Updates
  • Sime Darby Plantation Extends Palm Oil Industry’s Pioneering Workers Voice Helpline Across Its Malaysian Operations
17 August 2020

Sime Darby Plantation Extends Palm Oil Industry’s Pioneering Workers Voice Helpline Across Its Malaysian Operations

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 August 2020 – Sime Darby Plantation Berhad (SDP) today announced the second phase roll-out of the palm oil industry’s first Workers’ Voice (’Suara Kami’) grievance helpline across its operations in Malaysia to provide the Company’s migrant employees with an independent platform to raise issues. Following the successful completion of a pilot project in February 2019, the helpline will now be expanded to cover more than 23,000 SDP’s migrant workers, majority of whom are from Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The helpline is the result of a collaboration between SDP, Nestle and Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) that was launched in November 2018 as part of the SDP’s efforts to strengthen its commitment surrounding human rights particularly on addressing migrant workers labour issues.

The multilingual toll-free helpline protects the identity of the complainant and is run by a third-party service provider, ELEVATE, one of the partners behind the renowned ‘Amada Kotha’ garment industry helpline in Bangladesh, as well an electronics and manufacturing industry helpline in Malaysia. Available in 7 different languages (English, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Bengali, Nepali, Tamil and Hindi), it can be accessed via call, text or Facebook Messenger and has been adapted to meet the demographic as well as the geographical needs of SDP’s workers.

Sime Darby Plantation’s Chief Sustainability Officer Dr Simon Lord said the concern over safety and health of workers due to the current global COVID-19 pandemic should not derail the focus of companies on other equally pertinent human rights issues at the workplace. He said SDP is determined to proceed with the roll-out of the ‘Suara Kami’ initiative, utilising practical and alternative communication channels that adhere strictly to social distancing protocols to ensure the successful implementation of this helpline.

“Providing our employees with access to voice their grievance is crucial to protecting their rights without fear of retribution. It is part of our commitment to upholding basic, fundamental human rights and providing decent work, as outlined in our Human Rights Charter.

We want them to know that we are here to listen and understand their predicament. However, the availability of a platform alone is not enough; it must be managed effectively and efficiently as well as provide adequate remedial solutions,” said Dr Simon.

The helpline has a clear grievance protocol – local operators respond to concerns reported by workers which are then recorded on the Workers’ Voice online platform. Once a ticket is lodged, the case is classified, reported and referred externally, as appropriate, and finally handed over to SDP’s management. The worker receives step-by-step feedback, is updated on the outcome of the case and can put forward their dispute on the outcome, if any.

The helpline’s Protocol specifies timeframes that SDP’s management must adhere to when responding to cases based on the issue category. The management at the Head Office in Ara Damansara receives monthly dashboard reports and tracks progress, providing proper oversight and enabling effective action plans to be implemented throughout the Company’s operations.

During the initial roll-out of the pilot project back in 2019, a series of 16 on the ground trainings were held covering 24 mills and plantations. The roll-out was aimed at ensuring workers were aware of the helpline, understood how to use it and trusted the remediation process. SDP’s operations personnel and regional human resource teams were also trained in handling grievances related to forced labour.

“Focus group sessions which were part of the programme allowed our workers to provide feedback on the helpline and emphasised open dialogue as an effective means to address grievances. From the roll-out, we identified that our workers preferred to reach out via calls and that most of the tickets issued were in languages other than Bahasa Malaysia, which reaffirms the ability of this helpline in addressing language barriers present in channels that we had utilised before,” said Dr Simon.

“Cultural empathy and overcoming language barriers are indeed important in addressing human rights issues. By understanding their importance, we have not only improved our workers’ helpline, but also many other aspects of our practices. For instance, all our workers recruitment materials are translated into different languages. Employment contracts are also translated and personally explained to foreign workers in their respective languages during recruitment, upon induction and upon contract signing,” added Dr Simon.

The success of the pilot project demonstrates that the helpline is suitable for the palm oil industry and as such, SDP will be looking for opportunities to collaborate with other industry players to turn this project into an industry-wide initiative for the betterment of the sector.

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur’s Labour Attache Office, has commended the efforts by SDP to establish a helpline to assist its migrant workers.

“The wellbeing of our countrymen working away from home has always been paramount for us. Most times, migrant workers lack an avenue to voice concerns and grievances for fear of reprisals, and this has been a cause of concern.

“Sime Darby Plantation’s initiative to establish an independent grievance helpline would address these concerns. It will give our migrant workers a sense of comfort that they will be heard, and their complaints dealt with accordingly, giving us the Embassy the confidence that the rights of our migrant workers will continue to be protected,” said Budi H Laksana, Labour Attache from The Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur.

The project has also received positive feedback from the migrant workers who feel confident that their voices are heard. A National Union of Plantation Workers representative from the Bukit Selarong Estate, Kedah, S.Thagaselam also said that the helpline is good for those who are shy or have trepidations to meet with the estate management or superiors.

“At least they can use this line to help solve some of their problems or talk to someone about welfare matters that are hard for them to share with the management,” he added.

Share

Related posts

3 February 2023

Sime Darby Plantation’s palm oil exports to United States given greenlight after review by US Customs


Read more
8 December 2022

Sime Darby Plantation announces 2050 net-zero commitment with clear roadmap


Read more
29 November 2022

Sime Darby Plantation, Intan Hebat Baru and Wild Asia Join Forces to Raise Palm Oil Small Producers’ Standards


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.