"Slavery-like conditions", as defined by Brazilian law, include debt bondage and work that violates human dignity. The MPT added that the situation also constitutes "forced labour", as many workers had their wages withheld and faced excessive costs for terminating their contracts. BYD said affected workers had been moved to hotels.

A spokesperson for Chinese automaker BYD has objected to reports about poor conditions at a construction site in Brazil where it is building a factory, saying the allegations were aimed at “smearing”

BYD's contractor Jinjiang Group on Thursday said that the Brazilian authority’s portrayal of its employees working at the Chinese EV giant’s factory in Brazil as “enslaved” is “completely inconsistent with facts.