KUALA LUMPUR:  Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK) announced that its subsidiary, KL-Kepong Rubber Products Sdn Bhd, is no longer in any contractual relationship with Agency Pekerjaan UKHWAH Sdn Bhd with immediate effect.

By extension, any affiliation with SOS Manpower Service (SOS) will cease, it said.

KLK said that an independent third-party assessment provided recommendations to enhance due diligence, standard operating procedures, and grievance management, which KL-Kepong Rubber Products and the group are fully committed to implementing.

"The group remains committed to complying with international standards and labour laws governing worker recruitment, both locally and in source countries, and will continue to enforce a strict no-recruitment fee policy to safeguard the welfare of our guest workers.

"We take all whistleblowing reports seriously and thank all relevant parties who have come forth withinformation to assist in the investigation," KLK said in a statement.

This announcement was made following recent allegations of unethical recruitment practices against SOS Manpower and its sub-agents in Nepal.

KL-Kepong Rubber Products's agent in Malaysia for foreign workers from Nepal is Agensi Pekerjaan UKHWAH, which in turn has appointed SOS Manpower as an agent in Nepal to assist with recruitment.