Brazilian officials found 163 Chinese nationals working in “slavery-like conditions” at a construction site for a factory owned by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD in Durao state, Brazil, the local labor prosecutor’s office said.
According to authorities, the workers were hired in China by another company and brought to Brazil irregularly. They were working long hours, exceeding the limits established by Brazilian law, sometimes for seven days a week, and were in conditions that authorities described as degrading, among other labor violations, they added.
In a statement, BYD indicated that it severed relations with the company that hired the workers, adding that it is collaborating with authorities and providing assistance to employees. Labor authorities did not reveal the names of the companies involved in hiring the workers.
In Brazil, “slavery-like conditions” include forced labor, but the term also encompasses debt bondage, degrading working conditions, long hours that put workers’ health at risk, and any work that violates human dignity.
Workers had to request permission to leave their accommodation, and at least 107 of them also had their passports withheld by their employer, labor inspector Liane Durao said, adding that conditions at the workplace were dangerous.
“We found that the work of… these 163 workers was performed in slavery-like conditions,” he said at a news conference. “The minimum safety conditions in the work environment were not being met.”
The operation is still ongoing, according to Durao, and no fines have yet been issued.
With information from Reuters.
Follow information about business and current affairs in Forbes Mexico
Do you like to get informed through Google News? Follow our Showcase to have the best stories
