Heineken-owned Brewery Under Fire for Using Truckers Who Worked in ‘Slavery-Like Conditions’

Heineken-owned Cervejarias Kaiser was added to Brazil’s “Dirty List,” of companies implementing modern-day slave labor practices. (Photo: AP Photo/J. David Ake, FILE)

Cervejarias Kaiser, a beer-producing company owned by Heineken, has been accused by the Brazilian government of subjecting its workers to modern-day slavery. Reuters reported on Friday that the Brazilian brewery was added to the country’s infamous list of companies implementing “slave labor,” practices including subjecting its workers to 18-hour days and no paid time off.

Kaiser subcontracted Sider, a trucking company, to deliver its beer to Sao Paulo. In 2021, the trucking company was charged with putting 23 of its drivers in “slavery-like conditions.” In addition to subjecting employees to long hours, the company denied its workers lodging despite its promises to house its employees. Many workers were forced to sleep in their trucks instead.

These discoveries came to light during a March 2021 inspection.

In light of the recent findings, Heineken said it no longer works with Sider and was unaware of the labor conditions the employees were subjected to.

“Regarding the inclusion of Cervejarias Kaiser… on the list, we are actively working to resolve the issue,” Heineken said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Of the 23 drivers, 22 were Venezuelan and one was Haitian. As of May 2023, Brazil was currently home to nearly 7.2 million Venezuelan migrant refugees who have fled the country due to political, social and economic instability, according to AP News. Many came to Brazil in hopes of a building better future.

These workers were hired by Sider as part of Brazil’s Operacao Alcohida initiative. This federal government-led operation provides migrants with resettlement aid to the country and helps them find gainful employment. Yet some companies exploit the system and take advantage of vulnerable migrant workers. Brazil’s “Slave Labor” list  — also known as the “Dirty List” — is meant to serve as a deterrent from unethical labor practices and human trafficking. Any placement on the list is considered a black mark on a business’s reputation in the country.

According to Stanford University, despite the government’s best intentions to implement the list as a regulatory tool, a student named Maria Clara Rodriguez found evidence that politically connected individuals and well-to-do companies can manipulate the list for their benefit while continuing to exploit vulnerable populations.

Sider was added to the “Slave Labor” list in early October, which the country publishes every six months.

Companies added to the list remain there for two years and can only be removed if there are no new offenses within a two-year probationary period. Any companies on the country’s slave labor list are barred from receiving federal aid and are potentially viewed as a credit risk by privately owned banks.

Slave Labor in the Booze Business — a Global Issue

Though we associate the alcohol industry with celebrations and good times, the booze business has a darker side, particularly within the agricultural sector, in relation to migrant workers.

Instances of modern-day slavery have appeared in media headlines, particularly in the vineyards of the wine world.

Forbes reported in April 2017 that over 40,000 migrant Italian women were exposed to abhorrent labor conditions among the vines. The conditions, which involved picking and sorting grapes for up to 12 hours a day in blistering heat, led to the death of one woman, Paola Clemente. Every morning, Clemente would get up at 1:50 a.m. to catch a bus to ride to the vineyard and pick grapes for hours on end — only to be paid the equivalent of $29 after her wages were docked by labor gangs.

A New York Times piece penned in April 2017 spawned by Clemente’s death made the explosive discovery that Italian Mafia-led labor gangs preyed upon vulnerable migrants after long days in the vineyards and extorted their already meager wages, keeping these vulnerable populations in a vicious and deadly cycle of fear and exploitation.

When some of the migrant women tried to complain about the conditions, recruiters would threaten to not hire them anymore.

“Another woman can take your place,” a woman told The New York Times she was told.

After Clemente’s death, her husband of 27 years would still set the alarm or call her phone just to hear her voice.

“I want to feel that she is still alive,” he said.

Join the Whiskey Raiders Bottle of the Month Club, where you will receive hard-to-find bottles curated by Whiskey Raiders staff with a 90+ rating on whiskeyraiders.com plus live virtual tastings. Sign up here!