VW rejects possible slave labor deal in Brazil

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According to Brazilian prosecutors, Volkswagen do Brasil withdrew from the negotiating table in the 1970s and 80s during a trial over possible slave labor on a subsidiary’s Amazon farm. The authority in Brasília said Wednesday (local time) that the company is not interested in signing an agreement with the labor law prosecuting authority. In Germany, such an agreement roughly corresponds to a pre-trial agreement.

Prosecutors denounced Volkswagen’s stance that contradicted the company’s commitment to the country and human rights. He explained that the company will take all necessary judicial and non-judicial measures to effectively redress the damage allegedly caused.

A Volkswagen do Brasil spokesperson said on request, “Volkswagen do Brasil denies all allegations made in the diaries of this investigation into Fazenda Vale do Rio Cristalino and does not agree with the unilateral presentation of the facts by third parties.” The Brazilian prosecutor informed the company only three years after the investigations began.

The Brazilian prosecutor summoned VW do Brasil to court in May 2022. The hearing in June 2022 also discussed possible compensation for workers on the farm and Brazilian society. According to the public prosecutor’s statement, it is about a very serious human rights violation that has been taking place for more than ten years in which Volkswagen was directly involved.

Prosecutor Rafael Garcia Rodrigues spoke of hospitality at the farm known as “Fazenda Volkswagen” in Santana do Araguaia, in the state of Pará. Also, the workers could not have left the farm. According to the prosecutors conducting the investigation, workers and Brazilian society deserve more respectful treatment and compensation for damage done.

The prosecution’s proposal called for compensation for workers who are already alleged victims, as well as a program to search for other workers on the farm who were treated in the same way.

According to Inspector Garcia Rodrigues, “Fazenda Volkswagen” was one of the largest companies in the Amazon countryside, and the car company was looking to get into the meat business at the time. It was founded in the 1970s and was supported by the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985). The farm was about 1,390 square kilometers and employed about 300 workers. Temporary workers responsible for barter, to which the slave labor claim mainly refers, were not directly employed by the subsidiary company.

According to the prosecution, compensation must be paid from the Brazilian company, as the enterprise can rely on public funds and tax breaks.

(SDA)

Source :Blick