Employees treated like slaves? VW sued in Brazil
By Denis Düttmann
Brasília (Brazil) - Workers on a farm in the Amazon region were allegedly held like serfs in the 1970s and 1980s. An out-of-court settlement with Volkswagen do Brasil has already failed.
In the civil action, the Brazilian public prosecutor's office is demanding compensation payments of 165 million reais (around 26 million euros).
Volkswagen do Brasil did not initially comment on this when asked. An out-of-court settlement failed in March last year.
The allegations relate to the conditions at the Fazenda Volkswagen farm, which belonged to a subsidiary of Volkswagen do Brasil.
According to the investigators, armed guards and a system of debt bondage prevented the workers from leaving the farm.
These are characteristics of modern slave labor.
VW workers in Brazil exposed to degrading working conditions?
"Documents and testimonies prove the serious human rights violations at the fazenda during this time," said public prosecutor Rafael Garcia Rodrigues.
"The workers were subjected to slavery-like conditions through exhausting working hours, degrading working conditions and debt bondage."
With the Fazenda Volkswagen, the car manufacturer wanted to enter the meat business. The farm was founded in the 1970s and supported by the Brazilian military dictatorship.
It was around 1400 square kilometers in size and had around 300 workers.
The temporary workers responsible for clearing the land were not directly employed by the subsidiary.