Over 160 Chinese Workers Rescued from Slave Like Conditions in Brazil

According to officials on Tuesday more than 160 Chinese laborers who were constructing an electric vehicle factory for the Chinese conglomerate BYD in Brazil were rescued from “slave-like conditions.”

In a statement released late Monday, BYD’s Brazilian unit declared that it had “broken with immediate effect” its agreement with Jinjiang Construction Brazil Ltd., the business in charge of the site’s construction.

With a production capacity of 150,000 vehicles annually, the location which is situated in Camacari in the northeastern state of Bahia would be BYD’s largest electric car plant outside of Asia when it is finished.

Bahia’s public ministry for works (MPT) ordered the suspension of work on a portion of the facility.

Inspections have been carried out by the state ministry and other authorities since November which the MPT claimed identified “163 workers who appeared to be in slave-like conditions with the Jinjiang company providing services for BYD.”

All of the identified workers were Chinese, an MPT official confirmed. The MPT said in a statement that it had discovered “an alarming situation of precariousness” where employees were being kept in “degrading working conditions.”

“In one of the accommodations, workers slept on beds without mattresses and had no wardrobes for their personal effects, which were mixed together with food supplies,” it said.

The MPT also found there was just one bathroom per 31 workers, “which forced them to get up at 4:00 am to line up to be able to get ready before leaving to start work at 5:30 am.”

After arriving at the location, “the workers were exposed to intense solar radiation, presenting visible signs of skin damage.” With the workers’ passports seized and their employer “retaining 60 percent of their salary, and them receiving the other 40 percent in Chinese money,” the MPT stated that it suspected “forced labor” had been taking place.

To ensure that BYD and Jinjiang “can present the necessary provisions guaranteeing minimal accommodation conditions” and the correction of the infractions found, authorities have scheduled an online hearing for Thursday.

“It does not tolerate violations of Brazilian law and human dignity,” stated BYD’s Brazilian division in a statement, adding that it has promptly moved the 163 employees to motels in the area. 

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