45 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2018/2019 03 S E C T I O N RESPECTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND UPHOLDING GOOD SOCIAL PRACTICES Right to Adequate Housing FGV, being a responsible company, has allocated RM349.5 million to provide adequate housing for its workers. This fund will be used for constructing new houses and refurbishing existing houses that need to comply with current requirements. As at end-2019, we completed 319 out of 435 blocks of workers’ housing as listed below: 1. Peninsular Malaysia – of the 126 blocks of accommodation to be constructed, 45 have been completed and the rest have been brought forward. 2. Sabah – of the 302 blocks of accommodation to be constructed, 274 have been completed and the rest have been brought forward. 3. Sarawak – seven blocks of accommodation have been constructed in end-January 2020. The construction of the workers’ housing was, however, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the MCO imposed by the government. Thus, FGV has requested an extension of the completion of the project from the RSPO Complaints Panel. PETITIONS FGV acknowledges the concerns raised by some parties regarding alleged gaps in its labour practices, which have also been referred to in two petitions submitted to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in June 2019 and August 2019, respectively. FGV has issued statements and appointed a US-based legal firm to address this. To date, the legal firm has made five submissions to the CBP on FGV’s behalf. At the same time, FGV has taken steps to improve its labour practices and engage with the relevant stakeholders. Between November 2019 and February 2020, FGV has also engaged with the three international NGOs that filed the petition with the CBP. Establishment of Community Learning Centres (CLCs) In recognition of every individual’s right to education as stated in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), FGV has established 11 Community Learning Centres (CLCs) to provide education to children of plantation workers in Sabah, as these children were not enrolled in formal education. The CLCs are a joint effort between the Government of Malaysia and the Government of Indonesia. The CLCs in Sabah are recognised by the Government of Malaysia and they comply with rules and guidelines provided by the Malaysian Ministry of Education. FGV’s CLCs are registered with the Sabah State Education Department and provided with basic facilities for learning and teaching such as desks, chairs and blackboards. The centres are also equipped with basic amenities such as electricity, water, toilets and teachers’ rooms. In addition, we ensure proper accommodation for the teachers, while workers who are trained as local teachers or teaching assistants are paid local minimum wages. While the teachers are fully qualified and are from Malaysia and Indonesia, the educational syllabus is based on the Indonesian curriculum with a subject on Malaysian culture. As of December 2019, 1,002 children located in FGV Sahabat and FGV PUP estates are studying in the CLCs. FGV is currently collaborating with the Indonesian Consulate to establish four more CLCs in Sabah. FGV SAHABAT FGV PUP 9 estates Total number of students 1,002 2 estates Primary 749 students Secondary 253 students 855 students 147 students Female 490 Male 512 FGV’S CLCS IN 11 ESTATES As at December 2019
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