Brazil blocks BYD factory over 'slavery' conditions for workers
Date
12/24/2024 2:58:44 AM
(MENAFN) Brazilian authorities have blocked the development of a factory for Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD, claiming that workers were subjected to "slavery" circumstances.
According to a statement from the Public Labor Prosecutor's Office (MPT), more than 160 people had been rescued in Bahia, Brazil's northeast state.
A building company allegedly forced them to work in a "degrading" atmosphere and withheld their passports and wages.
BYD said in a statement that it had severed relations with the entity concerned and was still dedicated to "full compliance with Brazilian legislation."
The factory was expected to open in March 2025 and would be BYD's first EV plant outside of Asia.
Jinjiang Construction Brazil hired the laborers, who lived in four facilities in Camaçari city.
Workers at one such institution were forced to sleep on beds with no mattresses, according to prosecutors.
Each restroom was also shared by 31 workers, causing them to get up quite early to prepare for work.
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