Chinese auto giant BYD’s factory under investigation for forced labor in Brazil
Brazilian labor inspectors have uncovered serious violations at the construction site of a new factory for Chinese automaker BYD, sparking an investigation into alleged forced labor and human trafficking. The site, located in the northeastern state of Bahia, is slated to become BYD’s largest electric vehicle plant outside of Asia.
Federal prosecutors revealed that 163 Chinese workers employed by BYD’s contractor, Jinjiang Open Engineering, were subjected to “slave-like conditions.” A government statement described the workers as “victims of international trafficking for the purpose of labor exploitation.”
Alarming findings at the construction site
Labor inspections conducted since November found degrading living and working conditions, including inadequate accommodations and withheld wages. Workers reportedly slept on beds without mattresses, shared a single bathroom among 31 people, and endured long hours of labor under harsh sun exposure.
“The conditions identified at the site are completely unacceptable,” stated a representative of Bahia’s regional Ministry for Labor and Employment (MPT). “We are committed to ensuring the workers are properly compensated and treated with dignity.”
France24 reports,
The MPT added that it suspected “forced labor,” with workers’ passports confiscated and their employer “retaining 60 percent of their salary.”