The electric car manufacturer BYD reported that it decided to terminate the contract with the outsourced construction company Jinjiang Construction Brazil, which maintained 163 workers in conditions similar to slavery on the company’s construction sites. The was discovered by a task force from the Public Ministry of Labor (MPT)
In a statement, BYD Auto do Brasil, the Chinese company’s branch in the country, stated that it had received notification from the MPT about the irregularities yesterday (23).
“BYD Auto do Brasil reaffirms that it does not tolerate disrespect for Brazilian law and human dignity. In view of this, the company decided to immediately terminate the contract with the contractor to carry out part of the work at the Camaçari (BA) factory and is studying other appropriate measures”, it says in a note.
The company ordered the transfer of 163 workers to hotels in the region.
The automaker claims that, over the last few weeks, it carried out a “detailed review” of the working and housing conditions of all employees of the outsourced construction companies responsible for the work, notified these companies several times and made “adjustments that proved necessary”.
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According to the MPT, the rescued workers were subjected to working hours that exceed what is permitted under Brazilian legislation and would not have any time off, in addition to having 60% of their wages withheld and being forced to pay a “deposit” – amounts that were lost in case of early termination of the contract, which also implied the refund to Jinjiang of the value of the one-way ticket to Camaçari.
The MPT also listed problems related to the lack of mattresses on beds, insufficient number of bathrooms and lack of toilet seats.
Alexandre Baldy, senior vice president of BYD Brasil, said in the note that the company has been collaborating with the competent bodies since the beginning and decided to break the contract with the construction company Jinjiang, “reaffirming its commitment to full compliance with Brazilian legislation, in especially with regard to the protection of workers’ rights”.
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Part of the work on the new BYD factory was banned by the MPT.
A virtual hearing between the Public Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Labor, BYD and Jinjang is scheduled for Thursday, December 26th.
