KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — FGV Holdings Bhd will be appointing an independent auditor to conduct an assessment on its operations which are deemed to be against the 11 International Labour Organisation (ILO) indicators of forced labour, as advised by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
It is currently calling for proposals from prospective organisations and expects to finalise the appointment of the independent auditor in August 2021, following which the assessment work will immediately begin.
“FGV estimates that it would be able to submit to the CBP, for its consideration, the assessment report together with FGV’s proposed remediation plan within eight months upon the appointment of the independent auditor,” it said in a statement.
The plantation company said it recognises that upholding labour standards is a continuous endeavour, and is committed to prioritising efforts to advance the sustainability and human rights agenda.
The company shall make further announcements if there are any material developments with regard to the matter, it said, while reiterating its full commitment to the sustainability and human rights agenda.
In recent years, FGV has been focusing on ensuring compliance with human rights and labour standards.
These efforts have been intensified since early 2019, especially with FGV’s affiliation to the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which is a long-term programme to improve structures and systems for the enhancement of FGV’s labour practices.
Various initiatives are being implemented under this programme, concentrating on, among other things, improving FGV’s migrant worker recruitment process, developing human rights capacity building and training programmes, strengthening grievance mechanisms and enhancing labour monitoring systems.
— Bernama
