Due to alleged labor law violations, Brazil is suing the Chinese company BYD
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
According to an article by W Radio, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, the Brazilian Public Labor Ministry (MPT) filed a public civil action in court against the Chinese electric car manufacturer Build Your Dreams (BYD) and two other contracting companies, due to alleged cases of international human trafficking and violations of labor rights in Brazil.
The case dates back to December 2024, when the MPT received an anonymous complaint reporting irregular practices by BYD against its workers.
Following the complaint, the MPT launched an investigation and took action based on the allegations. It was found that at an industrial plant built by BYD in the municipality of Camaçari, in the state of Bahia, 220 Chinese workers were employed under conditions similar to slavery. After the MPT’s intervention, these individuals were rescued.
According to the MPT, the 220 workers entered Brazil irregularly, holding work visas granted specifically for specialized services that did not correspond to the tasks they performed on the BYD project.
Additionally, it was reported that these employees had their passports confiscated and were constantly supervised by armed men during their work shifts, which were highly exhausting and without weekly rest days.
The information presented by the MPT also indicated that approximately 70% of the workers’ salaries were withheld by the employing company, supposedly to cover potential early contract terminations.
Furthermore, the plant had only one bathroom for every 31 workers. They rested in accommodations without mattresses, were overcrowded in conditions lacking basic hygiene, and were provided food containing construction materials from the project.
In light of these facts, the Labor Prosecutor’s Office requested the Brazilian judiciary to impose a fine of 257 million reais (approximately 45 million dollars) on BYD and the contractors Tonghe Intelligent Equipment of Brazil and China JinJian Construction Brasil for collective moral damages against their workers, as evidenced by the MPT’s investigation.
The request also included individual fines for the workers, consisting of the payment of one day’s salary for each day worked under conditions similar to slavery, an additional payment equivalent to 21 contractual salaries, and severance compensation.
Last but not least, it is important to highlight that after the MPT report became public, the electric car company BYD canceled its contract with the JinJian group and stated that it would not tolerate violations of Brazilian labor law or breaches of human dignity.
Main Source:
Ministero Público de Trabajo de Brasil procesó a automotriz BYD por trata internacional de personas – W Radio
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