In an unprecedented operation, 23 federal public servants rescued three workers who were in degrading working conditions, one of the types of work analogous to slavery, at Sítio Serra Verde, in Bom Jardim de Minas (MG). The operation was organized in reference to International Women’s Day, celebrated on the 8th.
“The action was exclusively female. The drivers of the vehicles, the entire composition of the team was female”, informed today (5), to Agência Brasil, the labor tax auditor, from the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), Andréia Donin, coordinator of the action. Also participating in the operation were the Federal Police, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Public Defender’s Office.
According to the auditor, the three people were in a situation of extreme poverty. “They were earning between R$400 and R$500 a month. They were in very precarious conditions, especially in terms of food and housing. They had been working there for a long time, ”she said. When the team arrived at the site, at lunchtime, it was found that the three workers had no meat, they only had rice and beans to eat. And if they wanted to eat an egg, they had to pay R$1 per egg to the farm owner. “They had no idea what the minimum wage was.” When they found out that the minimum amount is R$1,302, they showed surprise, because they received R$100 a week.
Andréia informed that the owner of the site is responding administratively to the Ministry of Labor. “She will receive the infraction notices; she did not pay the workers’ severance pay”. According to the calculation carried out by public servants, just the severance pay for the period worked amounted to R$ 177 thousand. “Since she did not make the payment, the Public Defender’s Office of the Union will file a lawsuit to collect these amounts”.
Agreement
Through a representative, the owner of the site made an agreement with the Public Ministry of Labor for the payment of compensation of R$ 5 thousand, for each worker, to be paid in ten installments of R$ 500. She will respond administratively.
The auditor said that the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office responsible for the case may also file a criminal complaint against the owner of the site, who will even be subject to imprisonment for work analogous to slavery. The period of detention will vary according to the aggravating factors.
She said that “administratively, she is already answering for work analogous to slavery, because it was characterized as a degrading work condition”. The owner is not a repeat offender. This is her first situation, informed the auditor.
Two of the three workers are brothers and have worked at the site since 2015, when they sold a house they owned for R$12,000 and purchased a 200 square meter plot of land at Sítio Serra Verde. As they had no document to prove the purchase and guarantee ownership of the land, they decided to remain attached to the site, because they were very afraid of leaving the site, going to work on another property and losing the only asset they had, which was that lot purchased in 2015 for BRL 12 thousand. An agreement with the employer was signed in the conduct adjustment term to regularize the situation of that plot of land.
The third worker, aged 74, is retired and received R$ 100 per week. He has been working on the farm since 2008 as a caretaker and taking care of the cattle.
