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Warren Buffett-backed Chinese carmaker BYD Co. said it would hire more local employees at its new electric bus factory in California, its latest response to criticism that it violated labour rules in the United States. BYD has temporarily loaned some Chinese engineers and experts to transfer Chinese technology to local employees at its Los Angeles factory and will not be displacing any American workers, BYD said in a statement.
Advocacy group Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy said that the carmaker had failed to pay workers the required minimum wage and accused it of other violations. The company was fined $100,000 after California authorities investigated the charges, according to a recent report by The New York Times. BYD said last week the labour rights group spreading was "misinformation".
In a statement BYD said it is "dedicated to ensuring that its employees are treated fairly" and provided details of some of its workers" conditions at its factory.
BYD is stepping up efforts to sell electric vehicles overseas. It has signed several contracts this year, including one to supply the U.S. cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and to Amsterdam"s Schiphol airport.