A team of labor tax auditors rescued on Tuesday (29) a family that lived in a situation analogous to slavery, on a rural property of Januaria, in the north of Minas Gerais.
According to the inspection report, The 37 -year -old rural worker, the 34 -year -old woman and the two minor children, 6 and 9, lived in a 20 square meter (m²) shack, without access to drinking water, bathroom or minimum hygiene structure. The family bathed behind the open house on a piece of plastic without any privacy.
According to the Ministry of Labor and Commission (MTE), The man had worked on the property since 2019, with the promise that he would have recorded in his portfolio and that the house where the family lived would be renovated and expanded, which never happened.
During the inspection, the inspectors found that the worker walked 7 kilometers to catch water.
The father received R $ 80 per day, without registration in a portfolio or labor rights. He worked on planting seedlings on the farm and used pesticides in the plantation. The worker manipulated these substances without Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as determined by law. The children were exposed to the same unhealthy conditions.
A relative welcomed the family, and the Secretariat of Social Assistance and the Januaria Guardianship Council accompany the case. The farmer has pledged to pay the labor rights due in ten days.
The Chief Supervision of the Ministry of Labor and Employment in the city of Montes Claros, Marcos Martins da Silva, who was on site, said that the State Prosecutor will be called to ensure the payment of collective damages.
“In addition, slave labor is a crime and we refer the auditor’s report to the Federal Police, which opens an inquiry to investigate the causes and will trigger the court to open a criminal action against the involved.” The name of the farmer was not disclosed.
Minas Gerais maintains for the second year in a row the leadership in rescues of workers in conditions analogous to slavery in the country.
