17 August, 2021Over the last months, 19 employees at ST Microelectronics, Malaysia, have died from Covid-19. More than 100 employees are still infected and around 600 workers are placed in quarantine.
Since July, Covid-19 cases have surged in Malaysia, peaking at an average of 20,000 new cases in the past week. The country’s per capita infection rate is the highest in South East Asia.
Malaysia’s ministry of international trade and industry only ordered a full shut-down of the plant between 29 July to 4 August. Previously, only certain sections of the plant were closed down when Covid-19 cases were detected.
Roslan Bin Rosdi, EIEUSR deputy president, says:
"We are saddened by the demise of the co-workers at STM. This could have been prevented if regular social dialogues had been held between the management and the union. We call on STM to strictly implement health protocols and sanitize all production sites."
In a letter to the company, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Valter Sanches calls on the company to put workers before company profits and to engage in dialogue with IndustriALL affiliate Electronics Industry Employees Union South Region (EIEUSR).
Kan Matsuzaki, IndustriALL electronics director, says:
“IndustriALL expresses sincere condolences with the families of the 19 workers. We urge STM to walk the talk on its sustainability strategy, which emphasizes putting people first and protecting everyone’s life.”
STMicroelectronics manufactures power devices, micro controllers and other semiconductor integrated circuits used in various electronics devices.