A group of Bahian workers were found in conditions similar to slavery in the city of Pancas. Photo: Disclosure/MTE
Group of workers from Bahia were found in conditions similar to slavery in the city of Pancas
A group of thirty-five people were rescued from conditions similar to slavery on a farm in Pancas, in the northwest of Espírito Santo. The case was registered on Friday (3).
According to g1, the group was found during an operation coordinated by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE). After the rescue, the workers were taken to a hotel, where they await payment of severance pay, valued at around R$169,000. Then, they will return to Bahia.
The group, which is made up of men, women and young people under 18, reported that they left the state to harvest coffee and arrived in Espírito Santo on April 10th.
Conditions analogous to slavery
Workers lived in barracks. In the recorded images, it is possible to see dirty bathrooms, mattresses and mats scattered in a space that was shared with the kitchen. Furthermore, the Bahians stored food on an improvised table.
According to the MTE, the workers covered the costs of eating and were also forced to pay around R$100 to travel between their accommodation and their workplace.
They also had discounts on their salaries, between R$380 and R$450, which would be used to pay for the ticket to take them to Espírito Santo.
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.
iBahia
Tags: Bahians rescued situations similar slavery
