US EditionVolkswagen’s Brazil unit ordered to pay $30 million for decades-old ‘slave labor’ case
- A Brazilian labor court has mandated that Volkswagen compensate 165 million reais for the exploitation of workers under slave-like conditions at an Amazon farm owned by the company during the 1970s and 1980s.
- The court accepted charges filed in 2024 after a long investigation that began with evidence gathered over many years by a local priest who closely followed the case.
- Between 1974 and 1986, approximately 300 laborers endured degrading and exploitative conditions at a Volkswagen-owned farm, including enforced debt bondage, surveillance by armed guards, unsafe housing, inadequate food supplies, and lack of medical treatment for illnesses such as malaria.
- A ruling confirmed that the farm was owned by Volkswagen and that the working conditions qualified as slave labor, with the judge highlighting that slavery's legacy continues to affect labor dynamics in Brazil today.
- Volkswagen, operating in Brazil for 72 years, affirmed compliance with labor laws and human dignity principles, but said it will appeal the largest slave-labor reparation in Brazil’s history.
37 Articles
37 Articles
A Brazilian court imposes a million-dollar sentence on VW for slave-like work on a farm in the Amazon region. The company announces an appeal.
A Brazilian court imposes a million-dollar sentence on VW for slave-like work on a farm in the Amazon region. The company announces an appeal.
Brazil: Volkswagen found guilty of slave-like labor exploitation
Carmaker Volkswagen was found accountable for the exploitation of labor analogous to slavery between 1974 and 1986 at the Vale do Rio Cristalino farm, also known as the Volkswagen Farm, located in Santana do Araguaia, in the Brazilian State of Pará.
The allegations weigh heavily: between 1974 and 1986 hundreds of people were said to have worked on a Volkswagen cattle farm in Brazil under degrading circumstances. Now there is a verdict.
Volkswagen's Brazil unit ordered to pay $30 million for decades-old 'slave labor' case
Volkswagen's Brazil unit has been ordered to pay 165 million reais ($30.44 million) in damages for subjecting workers on a farm to slavery-like conditions in the 1970s and 1980s, labor prosecutors said on Friday.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
