Catherwood LibraryILR School

Hundreds of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia are demanding unpaid wages and compensation after their former employer, a supplier to major Japanese companies, abruptly shut down operations. Many of the workers say they endured exploitative conditions—such as 24-hour shifts and withheld passports—before the factory closed last year without paying months of back wages. The fallout has deepened debt burdens for the workers, most of whom borrowed thousands to secure their jobs. While companies like Sony, Panasonic, and Daikin have pledged partial reimbursement, labor advocates argue the aid falls short, and the broader system of recruitment and migrant labor remains rife with abuse.