Malaysia’s Private Sector Palm Oil Association Launch Responsible Employment Charter

The Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) has announced a new Responsible Employment Charter that commits all members of MPOA to a binding set of commitments on labour rights.

The Charter can be read in full here and includes:

• Prohibition on recruitment fees charged to jobseekers
• No retention of workers’ passports or similar restrictions on freedom of movement
• Actively supporting workers joining trade unions and other worker organisations
• Publicly-available Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) as a means to address any future labour violations

The Chairman of MPOA, Dato’ Lee Yeow Chor, made the following statement:

“The Malaysian oil palm industry, which has a heritage dating from the European management days, has a long history of respecting labour rights and adopting good labour practices. This Charter represents the commitment of the industry to follow international best practice on labour policies and practices”.

MPOA’s membership of palm oil growers takes very seriously the forced labour allegations made in the United States and in Europe – and are taking concrete steps to address those allegations, and make the necessary reforms.

Read the full statement by MPOA below.

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Malaysian Palm Oil Association Launches Responsible Employment Charter

Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) today announced the launch of its Responsible Employment Charter.

The Charter affirms the commitment of its members to respect labour rights, adopt responsible recruitment practices and provide good working and living conditions for their workers.

The commitments in the Charter are based on several international guidelines and frameworks, namely –

• The United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights Framework
• International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
• International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) developed by the UN International Organization for Migration.

MPOA members also commit to comply with all Malaysian labour laws and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Principles & Criteria relating to labour rights and practices.

Dato’ Lee Yeow Chor, Chairman of MPOA said:

“The Malaysian oil palm industry, which has a heritage dating from the European management days, has a long history of respecting labour rights and adopting good labour practices. This Charter represents the commitment of the industry to follow international best practice on labour policies and practices”.

MPOA believes this Charter will complement the effort of the Malaysian government in introducing the National Action Plan on Forced Labour 2021-2025 and committing to ratify the ILO Protocol to Forced Labour Convention.

About the Malaysian Palm Oil Association
MPOA is the national association recognized by the Malaysian government as representing the interests of oil palm growers in the country. Its members represent a broad spectrum ranging from the big (more than 300,000 planted hectares) to small (less than 120 planted hectares) companies involved in the cultivation of oil palm and other plantation crops such as rubber and coconut. Established in 1999, MPOA has more than 120 members representing about 1.8 million hectares of planted land in Malaysia.

https://www.mypalmlaborfacts.com/malaysias-private-sector-palm-oil-association-launch-responsible-employment-charter/