Almost 30 workers were rescued from slave-like conditions in Bahia and Pernambuco. A joint operation freed the victims, who lived in a degrading situation, working in quarries. The companies responsible will have to pay almost half a million reais in compensation.
Operation rescues 29 workers in quarries in the Northeast
Almost 30 workers were rescued from slave-like conditions in Bahia and Pernambuco. A joint operation freed the victims, who lived in a degrading situation, working in quarries. The companies responsible will have to pay...
The Federal Public Defender's Office gave details this Monday (13) about the 29 men rescued in the Bahian cities of Sento Sé and Casa Nova, as well as Santa Cruz, in Pernambuco. All are in the São Francisco River Valley region.
The workers slept in canvas huts, on mattresses on the floor, without drinking water or space for meals.
Personal protective equipment, such as helmets and gloves, was also not provided.
In one of the three locations, inspections found the food stored with poison and other toxic substances.
Some of the machines and tools were banned. They posed a security risk.
The operation was coordinated by the Labor Tax Audit, together with the Federal Public Defender's Office, the Public Ministry of Labor and the Federal Police.
The 29 workers had to extract the stones, which were used in paving works, including in services contracted by local councils. The Defender's Office did not specify which city councils were contracting.
According to the coordinator of the Working Group to Combat Contemporary Slavery, Izabela Luz, the situation of exploitation is common in the region's quarries, and there is evidence that the quarries operated without authorization from regulatory bodies. This should also be investigated.
The companies caught signed Terms of Conduct Adjustment, committing to pay almost half a million reais in labor funds and compensation, as well as R$30,000 and more than R$100,000 in collective moral damages.
The rescued workers received guidance on rights, such as special unemployment insurance, guaranteed in six installments of a minimum wage.
These are not isolated cases. Last year, 2,772 workers were rescued from slave-like work. Of these, 126 worked in the extraction and crushing of stones and construction materials.
Father who kicked 3-year-old daughter in the face is charged with torture in PR
The parent, whose identity was not revealed, will be charged with torture and bodily harm in the context of domestic violence and torture. The indictment took place on Monday morning (13).
Source:
Noticias ao Minuto - Justica
