35 workers are rescued from a situation similar to slavery in ES | North and Northwest – ES

Workers rescued from conditions similar to slavery are in a hotel in Pancas

Thirty-five people were rescued from conditions similar to slavery on a farm in Pancas, in the northwest of Espírito Santo, this Friday (3). The group was found during an operation coordinated by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) and taken to a hotel, where they await payment of termination fees – estimated at R$169,000 – and return to their state of origin.

The workers reported that they left Bahia to harvest the coffee, and arrived in the state of Espírito Santo on April 10th.

The accommodation where they were found had dirty bathrooms, mattresses and mats scattered in a space that was shared with the kitchen. The occupants stored food on a makeshift table.

According to the MTE, workers they needed to cover the costs of eating and were forced to pay around R$100 to travel from their accommodation to their place of work.

Furthermore, they had values ​​between R$ 380 and R$ 450 deducted from their salary, which would be the ticket to bring them to Espírito Santo.

It was also reported to the auditors that two of the employees had fallen ill at work and the colleagues had to share a sum of money to take them to the medical center.

The group is made up of men, women and young people under 18 years of age. Everyone was taken to a hotel in São Domingos do Norte, a neighboring municipality of Pancas, to pay their termination fees and return home, which the employer committed to. to be held by Monday (6).

The MTE’s fiscal auditor, Rodrigo de Carvalho, lamented that, once again, such an act was carried out in Espírito Santo.

“Unfortunately, the coffee harvest has barely started and we already have degrading situations again, in which workers are exploited to the maximum. Nothing justifies this situation, but, if we are to score, we are having a harvest with record coffee prices. And In our state there is still this culture of not regularizing these workers’ contracts during the coffee harvest and without a contract there are no rights”, said Rodrigo.

According to the MTE, the employer was placed under two conditions in Articles 149 and 207 of the Penal Code, which provide crimes for recruiting workers, keeping them in degrading conditions and not guaranteeing their return to the place of employment. The complaint still needs to be presented to the Judiciary by the Federal Public Ministry.

The Federal Police (PF) and the Public Ministry of Labor (MPT) also participated in the operation.