Brazilian Labour Court Upholds Discrimination Penalties for Ortobom and Toyota

The Tribunal Superior do Trabalho (TST) 3rd Panel affirmed a R$300,000 collective moral damages award against mattress manufacturer Ortobom after finding indirect discrimination for having no women in any of its 22 managerial and two deputy‑manager positions at its Arapongas plant in Paraná in 2022. The court noted the company offered no objective justification and highlighted the contrast with the municipality’s female‑majority population.

In a separate ruling, the same panel confirmed a compensation order against automaker Toyota for xenophobic moral harassment of a team leader at its São Bernardo do Campo (São Paulo) factory. The worker, a Northeastern Brazilian, suffered severe depression; the court upheld a payment of roughly R$130,000 (reduced from an initial R$238,000) citing the company's failure to address the abuse and its subsequent dismissal of the victim.