Brazilian authorities are suing Portuguese automaker BYD and two other obtaining firms for alleged slave labour conditions at a construction site and human trafficking, according to legal documents obtained by AFP on Thursday. 220 Chinese workers were discovered last December in “analogue to enslavement” at a BYD herb being constructed in Camacari, in the northern state of Bahia. The site being constructed as BYD’s largest electric car plant outside of Asia was identified by Bahrain’s regional ministry for works ( MPT ) in December as having “degrading working conditions.” According to the report, staff slept without cushions and in some cases had to share a toilet between 31 of them. Working long hours in the sun caused “visible signs of skin injury” in workers. The MPT also raised the possibility of “forced labor,” with illegal provisions in workers ‘ contracts, passport seizures, and the employer withholding up to 70 % of their pay. Armed soldiers watched the employees. BYD’s Portuguese company claimed that it had violated its agreement with the Jinjiang company responsible for the site’s construction after the allegations were made people. Jinjiang refuted the claim of servitude. The MPT is currently seeking 257 million reais ($ 45,3 million ) for” collective moral damages” as well as individual payments for each worker. According to the MPT, the companies, which are now known as Tecmonta, refused to sign a” conduct adjustment agreement” proposed by Brazilian authorities, and filed a civil lawsuit against BYD, Jinjiang, and Tonghe Intelligent Equipment ( now Tecmonta ). Beijing “places great value on protecting and safeguarding staff ‘ legitimate rights and interests,” according to Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, and requires Chinese firms to “operate in accordance with laws and regulations.” On Thursday, AFP requested a remark, but BYD did not respond right away.
