France: Champagne houses accused by union of non-compliance with French law amid multiple cases of migrant worker exploitation during 2023 harvest
We were treated like dogs, as we were not given much to eat, and we slept in a building, penned in like sheep.Malian grape picker, Nesle-Le-Repons
In September 2023 and October 2023, articles by Radio France Internationale and Wine-Searcher outline allegations of rights violations of migrant workers in Champagne vineyards.
Over 50 migrant grape pickers from West Africa experienced exploitative working and living conditions in Nesle-Le-Repons picking grapes, including ‘squalid’ living conditions, a lack of access to food, and wage theft. Many of the workers were undocumented. Wine-Searcher alleges the workers were recruited by the agency Avanim. In response to journalists, the owner of the recruitment agency denies the allegations.
Several other investigations have been launched, including violations against Bulgarian pickers in Côte des Blancs, the abuse of 73 grape pickers from Eastern Europe housed in plant nurseries owned by agricultural company L’Orge Fleur, the abuse of 160 Ukrainian grape pickers in Mourmelon-Le-Petit, and abuses against workers in Moussey, including a lack of access to water or electricity, among other cases.
Wine-Searcher links the violations to long chains of subcontracting between Champagne houses and recruitment agencies. The article alleges the French union CGT accused Champagne houses of non-compliance with French law, including obligations concerning accommodation provision even in cases of subcontracting.
Co-Presidents of the Champagne board, the Comité de Champagne, said they would redouble efforts to prevent such violations reoccurring.
A lack of control over the whole chain of sub-contraction allows modern slavery and human trafficking to exist.Sabine Duménil, general secretary of the Marne branch of the CGT union.
The Wine-Searcher article also outlines historical cases of human trafficking in the Champagne industry, including a June 2022 case where the recruitment agency, Rajviti, was sentenced to imprisonment and fined over USD 106, 000 for trafficking Afghan grape pickers. Earlier this year, September 2023, Moet-Hennessy Champagne Services was ordered to pay USD 18,113 due to non-compliance to working hour laws.
The Resource Centre was not able to contact L'Orge Fleur to invite a response to allegations of poor living conditions; if a response is received in future this page will be updated accordingly.
Veuve Cliquot had sub-contracted recruitment to recruitment agency Vitichenille, which in turn, sub-contracted Serviti, which then led to the sub-contraction of Rajviti to hire grape pickers.Wine-Searcher article.