A group of 35 people was rescued from conditions similar to slavery on a farm in Pancas, in the northwest of Espírito Santo, on Friday (3). The workers reported that they left Bahia to harvest the coffee, and arrived in the state of Espírito Santo on April 10th. The information is from G1.
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 accommodation where they were found had dirty bathrooms, mattresses and mats spread across a space that was shared with the kitchen. The occupants stored food on a makeshift table.
According to the MTE, workers needed to cover the costs of eating and were forced to pay around R$100 to travel from their accommodation to their workplace. In addition, they had amounts between R$380 and R$450 deducted from their salary, which would have been the fare 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 promised to carry out by Monday (6).
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.
