Brazilian authorities stopped the construction of a factory for the Chinese electric vehicle company BYD. They found that workers were living in terrible conditions, almost like slavery. More than 160 workers were rescued in Bahia, Brazil. The workers were treated badly and had their passports and pay kept by the construction company.
The factory was supposed to open by March 2025 and be BYD’s first electric vehicle plant outside of Asia. The workers, hired by Jinjiang Construction Brazil, had to stay in bad living conditions. They slept on beds without mattresses and had to share one bathroom with many others.
BYD said they cut ties with the company involved and want to follow Brazilian laws. They moved the affected workers to hotels and checked on their living conditions. BYD is a big electric vehicle maker, competing with Tesla. They are expanding in Brazil and plan to invest a lot of money there.
Vocabulary List:
- Conditions /kənˈdɪʃ.ənz/ (noun): The state or situation in which people live or work.
- Rescued /ˈrɛs.kjuːd/ (verb): Saved from a dangerous or distressing situation.
- Ties /taɪz/ (noun): Connections or relationships with someone or something.
- Affected /əˈfɛk.tɪd/ (adjective): Having been influenced or touched by something.
- Invest /ɪnˈvɛst/ (verb): To put money into something to earn a profit or achieve a result.
- Expanding /ɪkˈspænd.ɪŋ/ (verb): Increasing in size number or importance.
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