High-end wine kills people... Controversy over exploitation of French grape harvest workers

Most Are Foreign Workers... Overworked in Harsh Conditions
Four Died Earlier This Month While Working in Extreme Heat

There is controversy over reports that grape harvest workers are being exploited in the Champagne region of France, famous for producing high-end wines such as Champagne. In response, the French prosecution announced that it has launched an investigation.

On the 22nd (local time), the French daily Lib?ration reported, “The Ch?lons-en-Champagne Prosecutor's Office in the Marne department has initiated two investigations into labor exploitation during the grape harvest process in the Champagne region.”

Although specific charges and detailed information have not been disclosed, the prosecution explained that “several companies are involved.”

The quality of wine largely depends on harvesting grapes quickly at the right time. For this reason, producers heavily rely on seasonal workers for the harvest. More than 100,000 people are involved in grape harvesting annually in the Champagne region alone, many of whom are workers from Poland, Bulgaria, and West Africa.

However, there have been ongoing concerns about widespread labor exploitation during the grape harvest season in the Champagne region. French legal working hours cannot exceed 48 hours per week, including overtime, but wine producers reportedly make workers work up to 60 hours per week, and in some cases as long as 72 hours.

Workers harvesting grapes Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Moreover, at the end of August, the collective accommodation conditions for seasonal workers in the Champagne region worsened. Previously, up to six people could be housed in one room, but now up to ten people can be accommodated.

On the 15th, the Marne department ordered the closure of a Nestl? Le R?ve accommodation, citing it as “unsanitary and inhumane.”

Earlier this month, four seasonal workers in the Marne department died while harvesting grapes in heat exceeding 35 degrees Celsius.

Maxime Tubart, president of the Champagne and Wine Producers Association (SGV), stated, “This is the first time such an incident has occurred, and it is very sad. We do not participate in the harvest to take lives.”

He added, “Every year, one or two people die during the grape harvest due to heart failure or aneurysm. One of the main risk factors is the lack of physical preparation for the required tasks.”

The left-leaning General Confederation of Labour (CGT) Champagne branch criticized, “Because the grapes in this region are the most expensive in the world, everyone turns a blind eye to the poor working conditions of seasonal workers.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.