MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian authorities close car manufacturing plant due to “forced labor”

Production of BYD vehicles may not resume until the situation is straightened out

Brazilian authorities reported this week that some 163 workers had been rescued from slave-like conditions at the BYD plant in Camaçari, a municipality in the metropolitan area of Salvador, in the state of Bahia.

The Jinjiang Group, one of the companies providing services to the Chinese carmaker, is said to have imposed degrading working conditions, which were discovered during inspections carried out since last month.

According to a press release from Bahia's Labour Ministry (MPT), the workers' conditions, both in their accommodation and on the construction site, were “precarious” and “degrading,” with 60% of their wages and passports kept by the company. Workers slept on beds without mattresses and had no place to store their belongings. In addition, “the sanitary situation was particularly critical, with only one toilet for every 31 workers.”

The Brazilian officials also found kitchens in “alarming conditions”, with no cupboards for the proper storage of food, some of which were close to the toilets. With inadequate canteens, workers were forced to eat “in their own beds” and drink untreated water “directly from the tap.”

There were only eight chemical toilets for some 600 workers, all in “deplorable” condition, lacking toilet paper, water, and proper maintenance. Workers were exposed to “intense solar radiation with visible signs of skin damage”. Many work-related accidents were also reported, as the situation was described as “forced labor.”

If they terminated their contracts early, workers could lose 40% of their wages. They would also have to pay for their return ticket to China out of their own pockets, as well as their tickets to Brazil.

The Brazilian authorities canceled these contracts and placed the factories under embargo. Production cannot resume until the situation is resolved. A joint virtual hearing of the MPT and the Ministry of Labor with BYD and Jinjiang is scheduled for Thursday.