Latest news with #NortheastBrazil
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Brazil sues Chinese electric carmaker BYD over ‘slave-like' conditions of workers
Brazilian prosecutors have filed a lawsuit accusing electric carmaker BYD of human trafficking and keeping its workers in 'slavery-like conditions' in its biggest market outside China. The suit seeks over £33m in moral damages from the Chinese EV giant as well as contractors JinJiang Construction Brazil and Tecmonta, according to a statement by Brazil 's Public Labour Prosecutor's Office, or MPT. The lawsuit comes on the heels of an investigation that led to the rescue of 220 Chinese workers from the construction site of BYD's new factory in Camacari city in the northeast of Brazil last December. The investigation found the Chinese workers were brought to Brazil under false pretences and their visas did not match their jobs. Prosecutors said the workers were found working in 'slavery-live conditions' and with "minimum comfort and hygiene', calling them victims of international human trafficking The workers were forced to sleep on beds that did not have mattresses and as many as 30 people shared a bathroom, MPT alleged. 'Working conditions were extremely degrading. Five settlements were kept by BYD, JinJiang and Tecmonta. Some workers slept on beds without mattresses and had their personal belongings alongside with their food,' it claimed. 'There were few bathrooms, which were not gender-assigned. In one of the settlements, there was one toilet for 31 people, forcing workers to wake up at 4am for their personal hygiene before their work.' MPT also claimed the workers were under "employment contracts with illegal clauses, exhausting work hours and no weekly rest'. The prosecutors are seeking to force the carmaker and the contractors to follow labour laws and fine them 50,000 Brazilian reais (£6,575) for each violation. This fine will be multiplied by the number of workers affected by the violation. BYD said it was cooperating with the prosecutors and would respond to the lawsuit in court. The company further said that it was committed to upholding human rights and respecting Brazilian and international labour protections. Fabio Leal, deputy labour prosecutor, said talks in late December with the three companies had failed to reach an agreement but did not explain why the talks collapsed. Mr Leal said the Chinese workers had all returned home and they would receive compensation from any payment received from the lawsuit. 'Our lawsuit is very well-founded, with a substantial amount of evidence provided during the investigation process,' he said, adding that a settlement was still possible but through the courts. The BYD factory in Camacari was set to be operational by March 2025, but the work was halted pending investigations. It was set to be BYD's first and biggest plant outside Asia. BYD, short for Build Your Dreams, is a major player in the electric vehicles market, producing both passenger vehicles and electric buses. The company has been seeking to expand in Brazil, which is its largest overseas market.
Associated Press
07-05-2025
- Associated Press
Brazilian police arrest 4 suspected of quadruple homicide on a soccer pitch
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian police arrested three young adults and one 15-year-old who are suspected of killing four people during a shootout on a soccer pitch in the northeastern city of Fortaleza, authorities said Wednesday. The quadruple homicide occurred late on Tuesday in the same area where two sisters who were influencers were killed on May 1. Local media have reported a series of violent episodes in reaction to their deaths, including another shootout on a soccer field with no fatalities, a vandalized bus, protests and shuttered schools. Tuesday's victims were playing soccer when armed people invaded the pitch and fired dozens of shots, killing two on site. The other two later died from their injuries, local news outlet G1 reported. Military police later arrested three individuals aged 18, 19 and 22, with prior convictions for attempted murder, robbery and drug trafficking, the secretariat for public safety and social defense said in a statement. They now face charges of homicide, being part of a criminal organization, illegal possession of a firearm and corruption of a minor. A 15-year-old was also taken into custody. An investigation is underway. The secretariat said the military police will increase its presence in the area for an indefinite period. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
