cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6942923
Human rights groups say dozens of Bangladeshi workers employed at a Chinese-owned tire factory in northeastern Serbia were subjected to labor abuses that may amount to human trafficking, renewing scrutiny of a flagship Chinese investment that has faced years of controversy over its treatment of foreign workers.
Watchdog groups warned on January 30 that the Chinese tire factory Linglong has "tightened control and retaliation" against workers from Bangladesh, following reports earlier this week about the violations of their rights, including allegations of human trafficking and labor violations at the facility near the city of Zrenjanin.
"Workers report that their phones are sealed with red stickers, that photographing, recording, or taking notes is prohibited, and that factory entry passes are now being strictly enforced as a means of control," the Zrenjanin Social Forum, a local NGO focused on workers rights, said in a statement to RFE/RL.
The NGO, together with activists from the organization ASTRA, a Serbian watchdog group that supports victims of human trafficking, first reported suspicions of human trafficking and exploitation of several dozen workers from Bangladesh to Serbian state institutions.
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The allegations are the latest in a series of claims of forced labor linked to the Linglong factory, a cornerstone of Serbia’s economic partnership with China. Similar accusations previously involved Vietnamese and Indian workers, which prompted warnings from international bodies, including the European Parliament and the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
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Since reaching Serbia, the workers [who migrated from Asia] were employed at Linglong’s production facilities, though the company does not appear as their employer in contracts reviewed by NGOs.
Instead, the documents list a Serbian intermediary company, Mega Green Plus [founded in late 2024 and owned by a Chinese national], based in the village of Basaid, about 30 kilometers from Zrenjanin.
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Photographs [of migrant workers] show cramped container housing near the factory, with multiple bunk beds crowded into single rooms. Activists said six to seven workers often shared a room, sleeping on beds without mattresses and using electric heaters near bedding during winter.
“They sleep, cook, and wash clothes in the same space,” Rukeci Milivojevic said, adding that workers complained of poor food, unhygienic toilets, and leaking pipes.
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Rights groups say the new allegations involving [the migrant] workers suggest that abusive labor practices at the Linglong factory are not isolated incidents but part of a recurring pattern.
“Inhumane conditions keep repeating,” Rukeci Milivojevic said. “And the state’s response remains inadequate.”