Odebrecht to pay $13.6m in damages for slavery
The headquarters of Norberto Odebrecht construction company in Botafogo, a district in Rio de Janeiro
Brazil's giant builder Odebrecht Group was sentenced to pay $13.6 million in collective damages for slavery, deceptive recruitment, and international trafficking in persons over its hirings for the construction of a sugarcane refinery in Angola, Africa. According to MPT, this is the largest-scale slavery conviction ever made in Brazil.
The suit against the Odebrecht Group subsidiaries was filed by labor prosecutor Rafael de Araújo Gomes, based on a series of reports published by BBC Brazil on labor convictions concerning the Brazilian workers hired in the town of Américo Brasiliense, São Paulo state, and sent to work under degrading conditions in Angola.
In a statement, the convicted companies—Construtora Norberto Odebrecht, Odebrecht Serviços de Exportação, and Odebrecht Agroindustrial—said they will not comment “until they have been provided with the full terms of the decision.” They said, however, that the charges are limited to a project carried out by Angola-based company Biocom, “in which one of the defendants indirectly owns a minority stake.” Odebrecht further claimed that the refinery was not built by Odebrecht Group, but by third-parties hired by Biocom.
Marcelo Odebrecht
According to Odebrecht Group, “the work conditions at Biocom projects have always been decent and adhered to the labor and workplace health and security standards of both Angola and Brazil.” This includes accommodation, transport, sanitation, meals, and health standards. The group also maintains that the workers at Biocom projects have not been subjected to restrictions in their freedom.
Odebrecht further said that the workers had “were free to move around Angola and return to their country [Brazil] whenever they decided to,” and were provided free internet and telephone access, “including to make international calls,” as well as access to recreational facilities. The company maintains that it has always complied with the international employee relocation laws of both countries.
The companies said they will appeal the decision.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Odebrecht to pay $13.6m in damages for slavery
