Dyson, the British technology company headquartered in Singapore, has agreed to settle a labour lawsuit in the UK filed by 24 migrant workers who claimed they had been subjected to “modern-day slavery” at a Malaysian supplier that manufactured parts for the company.
The case originally dates back to 2022, when the workers, mostly from Nepal and Bangladesh, sued Dyson for abusive treatment at ATA Industrial (Malaysia), a supplier manufacturing its components.
They claimed they were threatened and beaten, and forced to work "upwards of 12 hours at a time without relieving themselves” in unsanitary conditions, according to their lawyers, as described by the BBC.
Additionally, the lawyers said that employees had their passports and money unlawfully taken and were sometimes beaten for missing targets, claiming that Dyson companies are ultimately responsible.
The case has raised scrutiny of global tech supply chains, especially in cases where major consumer electronics brands rely on overseas suppliers, which can be difficult to monitor.
Dyson initially said it hadn’t been previously aware of the alleged abuses and pointed towards the supplier as the one bearing responsibility.
“This resolution was reached in recognition of the expenses of litigation and the benefits of settlement,” said a statement by the claimants' law firm Leigh Day.
The statement adds that the settlement is not an admission of liability on Dyson's part. Dyson repeats the wording in its own statement, adding: “The Defendants deny and have always denied all liability in respect of the Claimants, who were employed by a third-party supplier, at factories in Malaysia which were owned and operated by ATA Industrial (M) Sdn Bhd and its related entities.”
According to Reuters, Dyson’s Malaysian subsidiary cancelled its contract with ATA in 2021.
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