cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/17960414
The thermometer read over 30 degrees Celsius (around 90 Fahrenheit) in the early hours of December 23, when Brazilian authorities turned up at the construction site of car giant BYD’s new factory in Camacari, in the northern state of Bahia.
MPT investigators told DW that they rescued 163 Chinese workers from “slavery-like” working conditions at the site.
In the dormitories of the Jinjiang Group, the company hired by BYD to carry out the work, there were no mattresses on the beds, and the few toilets served hundreds of workers in extremely unhygienic conditions. The workers also had food stored without refrigeration.
The Brazilian Labor Prosecutor’s Office (MTP) also accused the companies of withholding the workers’ passports and keeping 60% of their wages; the remaining 40% would be paid in Chinese currency.
After authorities claimed that the workers were victims of international human trafficking, the site was shut down. The factory had been due to open in 2025.
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Experts [said] hat the case pits the importance of Chinese investment against upholding local standards.
“This action was all the more significant because it took place in a company that enjoys strong political support, both in the federal government and in Bahia, due to the importance of its investments in Brazil for President Lula’s reindustrialization projects,” said Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist and professor of international relations at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. China’s overseas production in focus
On Tuesday, MPT investigators met with representatives of BYD and the companies involved in the construction.
All of the rescued workers have already received their termination payments and returned to China. A report on the inspection of the site will be completed next week, and compensation for the workers will be discussed at a subsequent meeting.
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Using Chinese workers to build the BYD plant is similar to how Chinese multinationals operate in Africa and other Latin American countries, said Paulo Feldmann, an economist and professor at the FIA Business School in Sao Paulo.
The practice brings little benefit to the countries that receive the investment, he [said].
“For Brazil, it would have been better if these workers had been local, because of the income they would have generated for themselves and their families, the positive impact on their communities and the professional training they would have acquired. It would also be easier to monitor their working conditions,” he said.
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In the aftermath of the scandal, BYD and its contractor, Jinjiang Group, have denied the allegations. They called them part of a smear campaign against Chinese brands, a narrative supported by many Chinese nationalists.
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But not everyone in China has accepted the idea of blaming “foreign forces.”
Some Weibo users wrote that working conditions at BYD factory in Brazil were similar to those of construction workers in China. This sparked online discussions about how many workers in China could be living in conditions that are slavery-like by international standards.
The Chinese labor market is notorious for its so-called “996” work culture, which involves working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, in violation of labor laws. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent in the technology sector.
“I stand with Brazil. Chinese workers are being ruthlessly exploited,” one comment stated under a Weibo post paralleling the working conditions at BYD’s Brazilian factory with those at local construction sites.
“I feel that domestic factories often don’t treat people as humans, but rather as machines,” another comment said.
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