Brazil shuts BYD factory site over ‘slavery’ conditions

Brazilian authorities have halted the construction of a factory for Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD, saying workers lived in conditions comparable to “slavery”.

More than 160 workers have been rescued in Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia, according to the Persecutor’s Office

They were allegedly put in a “degrading” environment and had their passports and salaries withheld by a building company.

BYD said in a statement that it had cut ties with the firm involved and remained committed to a “full compliance with Brazilian legislation”.

The factory was scheduled to be operational by March 2025, and was set to be BYD’s first EV plant outside of Asia. The workers, hired by Jinjiang Construction Brazil, lived in four facilities in Camaçari city. At one such facility, workers were made to sleep on beds without mattresses, according to prosecutors. The bathroom was also shared among 31 workers, forcing them to get up extremely early in order to be ready for work.

“The conditions found in the lodgings revealed an alarming picture of precariousness and degradation,” the MPT said. “Slavery-like conditions”, as defined by Brazilian law, include debt bondage and work that violates human dignity.

The MPT added that the situation also constitutes “forced labour”, as many workers had their wages withheld and faced excessive costs for terminating their contracts.

BYD said affected workers had been moved to hotels.

It added that it had conducted a “detailed review” of the working and living conditions for subcontracted employees, and asked on “several occasions” for the construction firm to make improvements.

Reuters