BYD Company Limited—BYD found responsible for forced-labor conditions among 163 Chinese workers rescued at Brazil factory site, added to Brazil's 'Dirty List'
Brazilian labor inspectors rescued 163 workers from slavery-like conditions at BYD's Camacari, Bahia factory construction site in December 2024; 471 Chinese workers were found to have entered Brazil illegally. Investigators documented passport confiscation, wages sent directly to China, refundable deposits of roughly $900, 10+ hour workdays with no regular rest, one bathroom per 31 workers, and contract clauses allowing unilateral 6-month extensions. Auditors found workers were directly subordinate to BYD despite service contracts with subcontractors Jinjiang and Tecmonta. BYD was added to Brazil's official forced-labor 'Dirty List' in April 2025 and signed a Conduct Adjustment Agreement (TAC) worth BRL 40 million (~$7.3M) with the Labor Prosecution Office in January 2026; Bahia state prosecutors also filed a lawsuit against BYD and its contractors.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supply Chain Ethics | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Worker Rights | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.591 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.79)× agency (negligent ×0.5)
Evidence (4 signals)
Reuters: Brazilian government blacklists BYD over labor violations
Reuters reported Brazil's Labor Ministry added BYD to its official registry of employers with slavery-like labor violations ('Dirty List'), barring the company from obtaining certain loans from Brazilian banks; the designation does not affect operation of BYD's auto plant in Brazil.
Agencia Brasil: BYD added to Brazil's forced-labor 'Dirty List' after Labor Ministry found direct responsibility
Brazil's public news agency reported that Ministry of Labor and Employment inspectors concluded BYD bore direct responsibility for the illegal entry of 471 Chinese workers and for forced-labor and degrading conditions at its Camacari factory site, leading to BYD's addition to the official 'Dirty List' and a BRL 40 million (~$7.3M) Conduct Adjustment Agreement with labor prosecutors.
Reuters: Brazilian prosecutors sue BYD, Jinjiang, and Tecmonta for R$257M over forced-labor conditions
Brazilian labor prosecutors filed a formal lawsuit against BYD and contractors Jinjiang and Tecmonta seeking 257 million reais (~$45 million) in collective moral damages plus individual worker compensation, and a court order compelling future compliance with Brazilian labor law, over the slavery-like conditions found among workers at BYD's Bahia factory site.
Reuters: Chinese workers at BYD Brazil factory signed contracts with abusive clauses
Reuters reviewed labor contracts of Chinese workers at BYD's Bahia factory site, finding clauses that let the employer withhold passports, deduct refundable deposits of about $900, and unilaterally extend contracts by six months.