RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 5: 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. —AFP
