Mercedes-Benz fined $7.3m for harassment of Brazil workers
Court said employees who suffered workplace injuries were sidelined when returned to work
RIO DE JANEIRO: A Brazilian labour court said Friday it had ordered German automaker Mercedes-Benz to pay the equivalent of $7.3 million in damages for discrimination and harassment suffered by workers at a factory in Sao Paulo state.
The court in the southern city of Campinas, where the factory is located, said employees who suffered workplace injuries were sidelined on their return to work and "exposed to humiliating and degrading situations," including racial discrimination.
Court documents showed that, between 2004 and 2019, several workers at Mercedes-Benz's biggest parts distribution and logistics center outside Germany were mistreated after suffering workplace illnesses or injuries.
On their return to work from sick leave, they suffered "isolation, including physical isolation" and were "deprived of opportunities for promotion and salary increases after being designated a 'divergent group'."
One worker testified that he was called a "monkey son of a bitch" by a colleague of his boss for not being able to carry more than five kilograms (11 pounds) of materials.
The victim filed a complaint with his supervisor but instead received a three-day suspension from work.
Another of the plaintiffs, who is black, said that when he returned to the job he was assigned tasks such as serving coffee and washing the car of a manager, who on one occasion mocked his skin color.
The judge in the case rejected Mercedes-Benz's claim that the practices were "isolated incidents," saying to accept that explanation would represent a "serious" setback for workers' rights.
Mercedes-Benz did not immediately respond to an AFP query about the case.