Suspicions of modern slavery during the construction of the Brazilian factory of Chinese car manufacturer BYD: “Alarming and humiliating”

The Brazilian subsidiary of Chinese electrified car manufacturer Auto do Brasil announced on Monday that it had “immediately” terminated the contract with the responsible construction company (Jinjiang Construction Brazil). The shipyard in question is located in Camaçari in the eastern state of Bahia, not far from the Atlantic Ocean. BYD’s largest factory outside Asia is currently being built there. 150,000 cars must roll off the production line every year.

Activities at part of the yard have been halted by the Public Ministry of Labor of Bahia. Since November, that agency, along with other government agencies, has conducted a series of audits that identified “163 workers in conditions resembling slavery at Jinjiang.” A ministry spokesperson said all workers were of Chinese nationality.

In a statement, the ministry spoke of “an alarming situation” and “degrading working conditions” of the workers staying at the yard. Some workers slept in beds without mattresses and had no cupboards to store personal belongings. The hygienic condition is also a concern for the ministry, as there was only one toilet for 31 workers.

Forced labor

In addition, the ministry suspects “forced labor,” where Chinese workers’ passports were confiscated from China and their employers “withheld 60 percent of their wages and they received the remaining 40 percent in Chinese currency.” At the site, workers were also said to have been exposed to intense sunlight, causing some to show signs of skin problems.

According to the ministry, a hearing should take place soon “so that BYD and Jinjiang can present the necessary measures to guarantee minimum housing conditions and regularize the violations found.”