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Brazil shuts BYD factory site over 'slavery' conditions
(www.bbc.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
I think the destinction between the chinese firm constructing the site and BYD itself is quite important here. I am absolutely not a fan of chinese car manufacturers but its just not the same as if BYD was operating the site right now and this news came to light
If you outsource your work, you outsource your reputation. BYD is absolutely responsible for the conditions of the workers.
Outsourcing your slavery dosen't make it any better.
Some would argue that this is precisely why they 'outsource' just like mobsters do. It gives plausible deniability.
Absolutely, ignorance is tantamount to complicity. Especially since BYD will earn a profit on their slave labor.
The site is not yet in operation. That has nothing to do with outsourcing... Its maybe bad supervision, but honestly most manufacturers fall in that category
It's not "outsourcing" in the common use of the term, but it's establishing plausible deniability between the brand and the practice, which is "outsourcing" in an ironic sense.
That said, I find the deniability completely implausible. BYD would be intimately aware of the progress and happenings on that site.
The slave labor is building the site.
It is the same, sorry. When you hire a third party to build or expand your business, you're accountable for what happens under your nose. Simply pointing fingers to outsourced work as if it were beyond one's control does not cut here. If you wish to operate in Brazil, you must comply with local legislation. And stating that some companies break the law is the same as saying that some people are turning a blind eye to the legislation, too. BYD management must choose which side of the legal fence they want to be. Cheers!