The presence of the Chinese brand of electrified cars on the list of companies with work analogous to slavery lasted only three days
BYD’s inclusion on the dirty list of slave-like labor lasted only 72 hours. The company filed a writ of mandamus in court to be removed.
The request was accepted by Judge Luiz Fausto de Marinho Medeiros, of the 16th Labor Court of Brasília. The magistrate understood that the direct link between BYD and the workers was not proven.
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The complaint of work analogous to slavery was made about the works at the Camaçari (BA) factory at the end of 2024, which were carried out by a Chinese construction company. There were reports of aggression, dirty accommodations, a 12-hour work routine with no days off on weekends and the absence of protective equipment.
The workers were Chinese and were in an irregular situation in Brazil. BYD was sued by the Labor Prosecutor’s Office and the situation was settled with an agreement, where the company paid R$ 40 million in individual and collective moral damages.
The National Association of Labor Inspectors (Anafitra) denounced to Agência Pública that Luiz Felipe Brandão de Mello was removed from the position of Secretary of Labor Inspection of the Ministry of Labor and Employment for having placed BYD on the dirty list of slave-like labor. The reason for this was not having complied with the request of the Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho (PT) to remove the company from the list.
An auditor said the secretary was relieved of his post for exercising his legal duty. The minister gave an informal order not to include BYD on the list, but there were no technical reasons for this.
Anafitra declared that it will denounce the Ministry of Labor and Employment at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR Court) after the secretary’s resignation. In an official statement, she says that this is a “serious sign of institutional retaliation”. This can also cast doubt on the credibility of the “dirty list”, which serves as a transparency tool.
BYD leaves the Dirty List and secretary responsible for inclusion is fired
