MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd April, 2020) British humanitarian activists called on the National Health Service (NHS) and the government of the United Kingdom to pay attention to Malaysia-made rubber gloves as migrant workers often face slave-like conditions in the factories, The Guardian reported on Thursday.
Malaysia is the biggest manufacturer of rubber gloves in the world, which is now used as part of the personal protective equipment of health workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Nonetheless, the newspaper is alleging that migrant workers, mostly from Nepal and Bangladesh, are being abused in Malaysian factories and have to cope with low pay and long working hours, among other issues.
"The government must redouble its efforts to protect all workers, both the NHS staff who use protective equipment to save lives and the factory workers who supply it," Phil Bloomer, the director of the business and Human Rights Resource Centre, said, as quoted by The Guardian.
At the same time, the UK government has been criticized by healthcare workers for its failure to provide enough medical equipment to NHS staff, The Guardian continued.
The UK has so far confirmed more than 134,000 coronavirus cases and 18,100 deaths from complications related to COVID-19.
