Brazil halts BYD factory over shocking labor conditions
The authorities in Brazil have halted the construction of an electric car factory by the Chinese corporation BYD after an inspection revealed slave-like working conditions. Workers were found sleeping on beds without mattresses, lacking tables, and the sanitary facilities were in a deplorable state. The Chinese company has addressed these allegations.
Officials from the Brazilian Ministry of Labor announced that they "freed 163 workers from slave-like conditions" from the Chinese construction company Jinjiang Construction Brazil. These workers had been employed in the construction of the electric car factory by the Chinese corporation BYD in the city of Camaçari, in the state of Bahia, in eastern Brazil.
BYD: Slave-like working conditions during factory construction
Officials, with the support of police services, confirmed the appalling conditions during the construction of the BYD factory. It was found that the situation was "particularly critical," with only one toilet available for 31 workers, which caused some workers to wake up at 3 AM Eastern Time to stand in line and be ready to leave for work by 4:30 AM. In one of the facilities, workers were sleeping on beds without mattresses and had no lockers for personal belongings. These were stored together with food items. Meals were eaten on beds as there were no tables.
BYD stated that in response to these reports, the workers were moved to hotels. The company assured that it conducted a "thorough review" of the working conditions of the subcontractor and demanded improvements. Simultaneously, BYD spokesperson Li Yunfei, quoted by the Associated Press, strongly opposed the statement about "slave-like working conditions."
"Regarding the slandering of Chinese brands, slandering China, and attempts to undermine the friendship between China and Brazil, we have seen how significant foreign forces maliciously associate and deliberately slander," said the BYD spokesperson.
The subcontractor withheld the passports of workers who stopped working, as well as 60% of their wages. These funds were to be deducted for tickets from China and their return to the country.
BYD is the largest electric car manufacturer in China, competing with American Tesla. Last year, the company announced that it would invest nearly 500 billion dollars in Brazil to build a new electric car factory.
