Posted on 14 May 2025
Chinese EV manufacturer BYD is due to start operations at its controversial plant in the Brazilian state of Bahia later this year, according to a government official.
Augusto Vasconcelos, the state’s labour secretary, said on social media on Monday that there have been delays to the construction schedule due to “investigations,” but BYD is expecting to be fully operational by December 2026. This year, assembly will begin using semi-knockdown (SKD) imported kits, Kallanish reports.
Vasconcelos says that around 500 local workers were qualified as part of efforts to employ the local workforce, with some people going to China for training. However, only a few have been selected. The Metalworkers Union of Camaçari has been asking to increase local hiring to maximise opportunities for the nearby communities, with BYD having signalled the plant will create 20,000 jobs when fully operational. Vasconcelos expects half the amount to be hired this year.
Bahia’s authorities have been investigating labour conditions at the facility’s construction site after inspectors found Chinese workers were subject to slavery-like conditions. BYD’s Brazilian subsidiary and three construction companies agreed to cover travel costs to return 163 workers to China. Around 500 Chinese people held irregular visas.
BYD, which was fined an undisclosed amount, blamed it on a misunderstanding of local laws and regulations.
The carmaker is transforming Ford’s former plant at the Camaçari complex to manufacture 150,000 EVs a year.
Source:Kallanish
