Brazilian blacklist and boycott loom for Heineken

Brazil’s labour ministry wants to blacklist Heineken following abuses at a transport company the brewery group works with. This would trigger a boycott by the country’s two biggest supermarket chains.

Exploitation by local transporter

The case came to light after an inspection by the labour ministry. Transport company Sider made its drivers work more than contractually agreed, preventing them from respecting their driving and rest periods. They were also forced to sleep in their trucks because Sider had not arranged accommodation, Dutch newspaper FD reports.

As a result, Brazil’s two largest supermarket chains (Carrefour and Pão de Açúcar) would stop working with Heineken. Along with seventy other large Brazilian companies, they have decided to end cooperation with blacklisted companies. The case is unique, says inspector Mauricio Krepsky Fagundes of Brazil’s labour ministry. Usually, the big fish escape the consequences. It is unclear how the case will turn out, argues Maria Clara Rodrigues, an economist who has researched the blacklist: “Often, the (smaller) company where the wrongdoing has been found ends up on the list. Large companies can afford to hire good lawyers.”