Volkswagen to compensate workers over Brazil torture

bbc.com ^ | 9/24/2020 | BBC NEWS

[ransomnote]

German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) says it will pay $6.4m (£5m) in compensation to former workers at a Brazilian factory who sued the company for collaborating with the country's military during the 1964-1985 dictatorship.

Workers and their families sued the carmaker five years ago over human rights violations.

A 2016 review found that VW agents gave employees' names to police hunting for people described as "subversives".

They were then detained and tortured.

"We regret the violations that occurred in the past. For Volkswagen, it is important to deal responsibly with this negative chapter in Brazil's history and promote transparency," VW executive Hiltrud Werner said in a statement.

VW's deal with Brazilian prosecutors, which was signed on Wednesday, will also see donations to projects including a memorial for victims of the dictatorship, the company said.

Twelve former workers said in 2016 they were arrested and tortured at Volkswagen's huge factory in São Bernardo do Campo, near São Paulo, while others were sacked and placed on blacklists.

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[ClearCase_guy]

Gosh. The world is always hunting down Germans for human rights abuses they committed many, many decades ago under one dictatorship or another.

What is it with the Krauts?

[Rummyfan]

The price of doing business in Brazil at the time? Not excusing VW or any other corporation that did this but... I imagine it was much the same at Krupp and Thyssen during WWII.

[billorites]

I drove a diesel Rabbit through six New England winters.

Now that was torture.