Brazilian Labor Prosecutors Sue Chinese Carmaker BYD Over ‘Slave Labor’ Conditions

The prosecutors say construction workers building BYD’s first factory in Brazil were packed into unhygienic accommodation and had their passports taken away.

The construction site of BYD's electric vehicle factory in the city of Camacari, Brazil, on Jan. 9, 2025. Joa Souza/Reuters

Labor prosecutors in Brazil have filed a lawsuit against Chinese auto manufacturer BYD, accusing it of human trafficking and allowing workers building a factory to live in conditions tantamount to slave labor.

In a May 27 statement on its website, Brazil’s Public Ministry of Labor (MPT) said the lawsuit named as defendants Build Your Dreams (BYD) and construction companies China JinJiang Construction Brazil and Tonghe Equipamentos Inteligentes do Brasil, which is also known as Tecmonta.