"Multinational corporation comes to aid of Bangladeshi workers", 16 June 2025

A Japanese multinational corporation has stepped forward to provide monetary aid to 283 Bangladeshi workers who had reportedly gone without pay for seven months last year, an international human rights group said. Sony took “meaningful and proactive steps to assist the workers, including providing much-needed financial assistance”, International Rights Advocates (IRAdvocates) said. However, it did not disclose the amount.

..IRAdvocates raised the matter with their previous employer, Kawaguchi Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, and certain manufacturers who were Kawaguchi’s downstream customers. One such manufacturer was Sony, he said. To its credit, Sony raised its concerns with Kawaguchi and requested that the company promptly implement corrective measures after the allegations emerged, he said. He said Sony also stopped doing business with Kawaguchi.

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In December, it was reported that Daikin, the world’s largest air-conditioner manufacturer, contributed US$12,000 in emergency food and medical aid to the affected foreign workers. It also provided an additional amount of financial aid to each worker.