KUALA LUMPUR (July 22): Top Glove Corp Bhd clarified today that the visit by authorities on July 13 was not a raid, but an inspection, of its office and workers’ quarters.

In a statement, the glove maker said it had received a compound of RM1,000 from the Ministry of Health (MoH) for lack of social distancing in one unit of the workers’ houses.

“The non-compliance was immediately rectified and workers [were] reminded to adhere closely to RMCO (recovery movement control order) requirements.

“In a statement by the Ministry of Human Resources (MoHR) on this matter, it also confirmed that during their inspection, they did not find any element of forced labour on Top Glove’s premises,” it said.

Yesterday, theedgemarkets.com reported that the MOHR had confirmed that Top Glove’s headquarters was raided on July 13.

The reason for the raid was because the glove manufacturer had breached MCO rules as well as provided cramped quarters for foreign staff, according to the ministry.

The glove maker was, however, cleared of imposing forced labour, the ministry said.

Top Glove also said it had been awarded an “A" rating following a June 2020 social audit of Factory 9 by Amfori, a global business association for open and sustainable trade, in addition to garnering good ratings in earlier third-party audits.