163 Chinese Workers Saved from Exploitative Conditions on Brazilian Construction Site, Officials Report
Brazilian labor inspectors reported that Chinese workers involved in constructing an electric vehicle factory were living in poor conditions and had their passports confiscated.
The Ministry of Labor in Brazil announced on Dec. 23 that they had rescued 163 Chinese workers who were being exploited while working on BYD’s first factory in the country.
BYD, a Chinese company, is establishing a factory in Camaçari near Salvador in Bahia state, scheduled to open in March 2025.
Inspectors from the Ministry of Labor visited the construction site and accommodations, revealing unfavorable living conditions for the workers.
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The Ministry of Labor conducted a series of inspections, revealing that workers employed by Jinjiang, a construction contractor, were living in unhygienic conditions in Camaçari.
“The lodgings were in a deplorable state, indicating substandard and degrading living conditions,” according to the Ministry of Labor.
They also discovered signs of forced labor, such as passport confiscation, upfront security deposit requirements, partial salary withholding, and financial penalties for early termination.
Workers who attempted to end their contracts were penalized by losing their security deposit and having to repay their travel expenses from China to Brazil.
According to the Ministry of Labor, this meant that workers leaving after six months would receive no wages.
Living conditions were described as degrading, with workers sharing beds without mattresses and lacking individual storage for personal belongings.
The sanitary facilities were inadequate, with only one toilet for every 31 workers, forcing early morning queues for basic needs.
Inspectors found workers washing clothes in the bathrooms due to the absence of laundry facilities.
Prepared food pots were left out overnight in unsanitary conditions, ready to be served the following day.
Chemical toilets at the site were in poor condition, with insufficient facilities for the labor force, leading to health risks and workplace accidents.
Many workers displayed physical signs of distress due to extreme working conditions and insufficient rest.
BYD electric cars for export waiting to be loaded on the “BYD Explorer NO.1,” a domestically manufactured vessel intended to export Chinese automobiles, at Yantai port, in Shandong Province, China, on Jan. 10, 2024. STR/AFP via Getty Images
