Workers in a similar situation to slave labor in MG – 04/06/2023 – Market

An inspection by the MTE (Ministry of Labor and Employment) rescued 110 workers in conditions similar to those of slavery in the construction of an energy transmission line in eastern Minas Gerais. All workers were from states in the North and Northeast, according to the ministry.

The inspection was carried out between the 29th and 30th of March in lodgings and work fronts of the Consórcio Construtor Linha Verde, formed by the companies Toyo Setal and Nova Participações, in the municipalities of Conselheiro Pena and Governador Valadares.

The transmission line is being built between the cities of Mutum and Governador Valadares. The payment of workers’ terminations took place this Tuesday (4), and amounts to about R$ 752 thousand.

In a note, the consortium states that it does not agree that the workers were in conditions analogous to slavery. He also said that 70 of the 110 rescued workers showed interest in remaining as employees.

The inspection had the participation of the PRF (Federal Highway Police) and the MPT (Ministério Público do Trabalho). According to the MTE, six accommodations were audited, including hotels, rented houses and a warehouse, all used by the company responsible for building the transmission line for use by employees.

Of the 110 workers in conditions analogous to slavery, according to the ministry, 78 were in an improvised shed as accommodation in Conselheiro Pena. The shed did not have adequate ventilation, according to inspection.

The other 32 employees were in a property in Governador Valadares. “The conditions were even worse there. There were no windows. The heat was very strong. The workers couldn’t sleep”, says the inspector-inspector of the MTE’s work in Minas Gerais, Marcelo Campos, responsible for inspection.

The forecast was that the 110 workers would start returning on Tuesday to their states of origin, including Pará, Sergipe, Maranhão and Bahia. The consortium says, however, that it is analyzing the legal possibility of rehiring the 70 workers who have shown interest in continuing with the work.

OTHER SIDE

The consortium responsible for the work says that it removed the workers from the sites inspected by the MTE on the same day the audit was carried out.

“Regarding the inconsistencies found by the Ministry of Labor and Employment, related to poor ventilation in two of the work’s accommodations, immediately after notifying the authorities, the group paralyzed the activities of the workers installed in the sites”, says the note sent by the consortium.

According to the text, throughout Thursday (30), the consortium reallocated professionals in a new space, meeting the requirements stipulated by the ministry. “It should be noted that there are difficulties characteristic of the type of construction —a transmission line—, which requires temporary accommodation for each stage of the work, in addition to the difficulty of infrastructure in the region”, says the positioning.

“The consortium recalls that, in addition to the accommodation provided, professionals receive food, transportation, individual and collective protection equipment, training on health and safety, as well as tickets for workers to return to their homes to rest regularly”, says the note.

“In addition, all employees are duly registered, in accordance with the CLT (Consolidation of Labor Laws). . The consortium, according to the note, employs 1,200 people for the work in the region.

The consortium also claims to believe that inspections at the work have nothing to do with what happened to workers in Rio Grande do Sul.

“Due to all of the above, the consortium does not agree that these professionals were in conditions analogous to slavery. It believes that the fact has nothing similar to the recent events recorded in the south of the country, when workers were found in subhuman conditions, having having to pay for their housing, receiving spoiled food, in deplorable conditions, being subjected to inhumane treatment and, in some cases, even torture”, state the companies.