03.03.2023
They were promised above-average wages, as well as free food, transportation, and accommodation. But the reality was completely different. The company apologized and says it is “deeply ashamed.”
In an open letter to Brazilian society, released on Thursday, March 3, 2023, the management of the Aurora winery, the largest in Brazil, apologized and stated that it is “deeply ashamed” by the events involving its relationship with the company. Fênix Serviços Administrativos e Apoio à Gestão de Saúde LTDA, investigated for maintaining workers in a situation analogous to slavery in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
More than 200 men hired to work in the grape harvest were rescued from a lodging in Bento Gonçalves, in the Serra Gaúcha, where they were subjected to “degrading conditions.”
The bodies that participated in the operation, carried out on February 22, that is, the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), the Public Ministry of Labor (MPT), the Federal Police (PF) and the Federal Highway Police (PRF), said the workers had been deceived after being promised temporary employment, a salary of 4,000 reais (about $767), and also payment for room and board.
The operation was carried out after three workers went to the PRF, in Caxias do Sul, declaring that they had escaped from a housing center, some 15 kilometers from the Bento Gonçalves vineyards, where they were being held against their will. The rescued workers were housed in a gym in Bento Gonçalves, until they could return to their homes.
“The recent events of our relationship with the Fênix company deeply embarrass us and infuriate us. We learned from those who came before us that, without work, we would be nothing. Work is sacred. Betraying this principle would be betraying our history and betraying ourselves. themselves”, says the letter published on the website of the Aurora winery.
The 207 men were recruited in Bahia by the company Fênix Serviços Administrativos e Apoio à Gestão de Saúde LTDA, which provided services for the Aurora, Cooperativa Garibaldi and Salton wineries, some of the most important producers in the region. The rural producers say that they were unaware of the situation denounced by the workers.
Physical and psychological aggression
In their testimonies, the workers denounced episodes of violence, such as blows with broomsticks, bites, electric shocks, and attacks with pepper spray, in addition to poor working and living conditions. They also denounced practices such as vouchers, fines, and salary discounts, which led the MTE and MPT to consider the situation as a work regime analogous to slavery.
The men worked on the grape harvest from Sunday to Friday, from five in the morning to eight at night, without breaks. They started working at the beginning of February 2023, and surprised by the terrible working conditions, they tried to leave Rio Grande do Sul, but they were threatened and beaten.
One of the workers stated in an interview with the newspaper Newspaper that they had agreed to receive 4,000 reales after 45 days. However, sums that had not been previously agreed were deducted from the amount. Thus, he said, he realized that he was being exploited.
There are rural producers in Rio Grande do Sul who say they are unaware of the situation denounced by the workers.
Another worker reported that when he arrived in Rio Grande do Sul he found out that he would lose his return ticket if he missed a day at work. In addition, the accommodation, which should have been included, would be deducted from the payroll at the end of the contract. For this reason, he says, the situation forced the men to continue working even if they were sick.
The workers said that they received rotten food from Fênix representatives, that they could only buy products in a small market near the accommodation, with excessive prices, and that the amount spent was deducted from their salary. For this reason, the workers ended the month owing money to the company, since their consumption exceeded the value of their salaries. They were also told that they could not leave the place and that if they wanted to, they would have to pay the so-called “debt”.
Can wine companies be held accountable?
The Aurora, Cooperativa Garibaldi and Salton wineries hired Fênix, who offered labor. However, rural producers – who claimed to be unaware of the irregularities and who always acted within the law – can be held responsible, according to Vanius Corte, regional manager of the MTE in Caxias do Sul, in an interview with the G1 portal.
“The people who took that service, the people who benefited from that service, can also be held responsible. It is what we call subsidiary responsibility. First of all, the employer has the responsibility,” Corte said.
For the regional head of the MTE in Caxias do Sul, it is not enough for companies to hire someone. “You have to know who you are hiring, you have to have the responsibility to examine if they offer the right conditions and legal rights,” he said.
Creation of an inspection task force
Following a meeting held on Tuesday (02.28.2023), the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, announced the creation of a working group to inspect the hiring of people and combat work situations analogous to slavery in the Serra Gaúcha . He did not announce a time frame for the start of the action, but pleaded for accountability.
The governor said that the Serra Gaúcha has close to 20,000 small rural properties, and that a floating population of more than 100,000 people works in the crops. “We want to develop inspection work groups so that we have a special focus on these activities, in order to guarantee that the working conditions of these people are adequate, dignified and correspond to the legislation,” he concluded.
fc (gg/cp)