A group of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia has filed police reports against their employer, gloves manufacturer Mediceram, alleging illegal confiscation of passports and failure to renew work permits. The reports were lodged yesterday at the Nelai police station by two migrants on behalf of 93 workers, accusing the company of serious violations of labour laws and breach of contract.

Mediceram terminated 170 workers on October 31 after they staged demonstrations protesting the non-renewal of work permits. Since then, the company has cancelled the visas of 16 workers, prompting Malaysian authorities to deport them to Bangladesh.

The workers, who joined Mediceram in 2023, said they faced months of unpaid or irregular wages and repeated delays in renewing work permits, despite having paid between Tk 4.5 lakh and Tk 6 lakh each to secure employment.

In a significant development, Australian buying company Ansell has suspended its business relationship with Mediceram following the allegations…

In their police report, the workers requested that Malaysian authorities launch an immediate investigation and that the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources take action against Mediceram. They also demanded that those involved in passport confiscation be brought to justice and called on the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur to provide urgent legal protection.