rio de janeiro: A Brazilian labor court announced Friday that it has ordered German automaker Mercedes-Benz to pay $7.3 million in damages for discrimination and harassment suffered by workers at a factory in São Paulo state.
A court in the southern city of Campinas, where the factory is located, said workers injured at work were prevented from returning to work and were “subjected to humiliating and degrading conditions” including racial discrimination.
From 2004 to 2019, several workers at Mercedes-Benz’s largest parts distribution and logistics center outside Germany were abused after becoming ill or injured on the job, according to court documents. It turns out.
When they returned to work after sick leave, they suffered “isolation, including physical isolation” and were “designated as a ‘divergent group’ and denied opportunities for promotions and pay increases.”
One worker testified that his boss’ co-workers called him a “son of a bitch monkey” because he couldn’t carry more than 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of material.
The victim complained to her supervisor, but instead received a three-day suspension.
The other plaintiff, a black man, said that when he returned to work, he was given tasks such as serving coffee and washing the manager’s car, but that the manager also made fun of him for the color of his skin.
The judge in the case rejected Mercedes-Benz’s argument that the practice was an “isolated incident” and said accepting that explanation would represent a “significant” setback for workers’ rights.
Mercedes-Benz did not immediately respond to AFP’s inquiries regarding this matter.
