Updated | Police interviewing Leisure Clothing employees

The team investigating allegations of human trafficking and exploitation of workers by Chinese-owned company Leisure Clothing are now conducting a series of interviews with the factory’s workers.

On Thursday night, Bin Han, one of the directors of the company, was released from arrest by police with no charge after he was questioned over allegations of human trafficking on Wednesday.

It is understood that he was called in for questioning again today at around noon after the Police uncovered fresh information.

At the same time, investigating officers went back to the factory and called in a number of workers which were chosen randomly.

On Wednesday evening, a crew from MaltaToday was prohibited from filming and asking questions to employees at the factory in the Bulebel industrial estate and were escorted out of the premises by security guards.

However, employees from the company's administration department who spoke to MaltaToday outside the building confirmed that the police had raided the premises in the morning. "None of the directors are here as they are with the police," an employee who wished to remain anonymous told us upon being asked whether we could speak to a director or a member of the management team.
Upon reaching the factory, a number of Asian and Maltese employees could be seen leaving the premises from a side entrance but refused to give any comments. The few employees who spoke to MaltaToday said that production operations continued as normal throughout the day.

The ministry for consumer affairs, civil liberties and public dialogue said that the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) had recently filed two separate cases in the criminal court against Leisure Clothing over unpaid salaries totalling €15,000 and €9,000 respectively.

According to the Nationalist Party’s newspaper in-Nazzjon, Chinese workers tried to flee Malta using false passports after being brought to Malta to work in the Chinese government-owned factory.

Allegedly the Chinese nationals tried to exit the country after being smuggled into Malta after being promised a job at the factory and a €600 wage.

However, the four Chinese nationals who were detained by the police after attempting to leave Malta using false documents reportedly told the police that they were only being paid “a few tens of euros” because the company directors feared they would exit Malta and travel to another EU country.
Moreover, they claimed that the company was reducing payments for their visas, accommodation and food from their monthly wage.
Around 260 workers are lodged in huts, close to the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) offices and the AFM barracks in Hal Far. Moreover, the workers also revealed the unhealthy and illegal working conditions.

Leisure Clothing Limited started operations in 1987 following an agreement between Malta and the Chongqing regional authorities in China.

No proof of exploitation

Meanwhile despite claiming that there’s no proof of abusive conditions at l;eisure Clothing, the General Workers’ Union called on the company’s management to come clean and urged the police force to continue its investigations.

“GWU not only categorically condemns the exploitation of all workers in all circumstances but also actively works against it,” the union said, adding that it makes no distinction between Maltese and foreign workers.

This morning, the GWU’s central administration met representatives of Leisure Clothing’s workers who admitted that they have never witnessed the ill-treatment of Asian workers or anything which could equate to slavery.

“This was also confirmed by all the workers who met with one of the union’s section secretaries, Paul Bugeja,” the statement said, adding that “despite this, the GWU urges the police to continue its investigations and if any kind of abuse exists, bring the responsible people to justice.”