“Ambev and Heineken, charged with having Venezuelan immigrants in a situation of slavery in Brazil”, 17 May 2021

...In March 2021…[,]...23 foreigners…[were]...freed in an action of the Slave Labor Eradication Program in the State of São Paulo, linked to the Ministry of Economy. During the operation, which began in the early morning of March 3, the inspectors dismantled a system of work in conditions analogous to slavery that involved two of the largest brewers in the world, the multinationals Ambev and Grupo Heneiken (which in Brazil is called Cervejarias Kaiser Brasil), and a transport company subcontracted by both, Sider, which directly employed the workers. Now companies, which are preparing a schedule to pay employees moral damages, will have a few weeks to prepare their defense in the case. In total, each rescued worker will receive about 657,270 reais ($ 125,000)...The immigrants, 22 Venezuelans and one Haitian, lived for months (some more than a year) in the cab of trucks parked at Sider’s headquarters...They worked long hours without a day off. In addition, they did not have access to drinking water. Extra fees and discounts were also imposed on them...Brazilian law establishes that it would be up to Heineken and Ambev to supervise that the outsourced contractor (Sider) complies with labor obligations...[T]he Heineken Group stated that it learned of the case “through the Regional Labor Superintendency, and that it actively collaborated to guarantee all the fundamental rights of workers, as indicated by the auditors”...Ambev has stated that “as soon as we became aware of the complaint to Sider…[,]...we immediately made sure that the drivers were transferred to a hotel, where they were given shelter and received all the necessary support”...EL PAÍS contacted Sider by email and telephone, but received no response...