Top Glove workers told the Reuters in December 2018 that they often work long hours to earn overtime pay, and in some cases exceed the limit of overtime hours stipulated under local labor laws. Workers interviewed said they hoped to quickly repay loans of at least 5,000 Malaysian ringgit ($1,200) they took out to pay recruitment agents in their home countries. They said others were charged up to 20,000 Malaysian ringgit. ABC News later reports one of the Nepalese workers employed in the glove production line at one of Top Glove's 35 Malaysian factories had been promised fair working conditions before he came to Malaysia, only to find life became harder. The worker who spoke to ABC News felt he could not reveal his identity due to fear of being dismissed and deported. The workers told ABC news that they paid high recruitment fees, and the article alleges this lead to situations of debt bondage. The workers also allege they work daily 12 hour shifts from 7am to 7pm. Of this, eight hours are normal pay, there is 1.5 hours set aside for breaks (three blocks of 30 minutes each), and 2.5 hours of overtime. The workers also suggest there are deductions from pay for items such as canteen food, accommodation, transportation to the factory, and utilities. The workers ABC spoke with also alleged the employer locks up their passports upon the workers signing a consent form, but that they cannot access them easily; and one worker said this stops them from leaving the factory to get jobs elsewhere. Living conditions are described as crowded. Disruptive workers were punished by being locked up or dismissed. A later Guardian article released in December 2018 reports several of the ILO criteria for forced labour were met; and also that production targets were extremely high; and workers described having mental-health breakdowns in the factory.