Brazilian authorities: workers at BYD construction site victims of international human trafficking

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The 163 Chinese workers found in a construction site of a factory owned by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD (SZ:) in Brazil’s Bahia state were victims of international human trafficking, said local labor authorities.

The statement issued late on Thursday said BYD and contractor Jinjiang Group agreed to house the workers in hotels until negotiations over a deal to end the workers’ contracts is reached, although both firms disagreed with the assessment by the authorities.

BYD did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Reuters was unable to reach Jinjiang for comment outside usual working hours.