French champagne manufacturers face trafficking in human trafficking

The conditions for extracting grapes in the champagne business in France are at the heart of the trial of trafficking in human trafficking, which opened in the eastern city of Reims.

Three people – a woman from Kyrgyzstan, a man from Georgia and the Frenchman – are accused of using more than 50 seasonal workers, mainly from West Africa.

Workers-all undocumented migrants were found during the 2023 harvest, which live in close and non-hygienic conditions in the building in Nesle-le-reponies, in the southwest Reims in the heart of the Champagne.

They were recruited through a WhatsApp message for the Western Africa ethnic community that lives in Paris, which promised “well -paid work” in the champagne region.

At that time, at the age of 16 to 65, 48 men and nine women arrived from Maltania, Mauritania, Cote -Diavoire and Senegal. Many visit the trial on Thursday.

“They shouted at us in Russian and stuffed us in this broken house, mattresses on the floor,” said the 44-year-old Kanouitié djakariayou.

“There was no clean water, and the only food was a bowl with rice and rotten sandwiches.

“I never thought that people who made champagne will put us in a place that even animals do not accept.”

“The fact that we survived there was really scary. We were injured in experience. And we didn’t have psychological support because if you do not have documents, you also have no rights,” said 45 -year -old Dumbia Mamada, L’Aniual Louis.

A week later, the local resident, the labor inspectors visited the stage and documented the conditions that “were a serious violation of the safety, health and dignity of passengers”, according to the state prosecutor Enik Brown.

The accusation states that the living and food zones were located outside, unprotected from the elements; The toilets were dirty; The souls were insufficient only with intermittent hot water; And electricity was a danger of safety.

In addition, migrants worked ten hours a day, only 30 minutes for lunch, transported to the vineyards, squatting at the back of the trucks. They did not have a written contract, and the salary they received “no attitude to work” on the charge.

“The accused had a complete disregard for human dignity,” said Maxim Sessio, who represents some migrants.

A 44-year-old suspect, called Svetlana G., managed a recruitment agency called Anavim, who specialized in the search for wine industry. Two others were her associates.

In addition to accusing human trafficking, the woman is also accused of undeclared work, employment of foreigners without permits, insufficient remuneration and vulnerable people under unsuitable terms. All three imprisonment terms up to seven years and great fines if they are convicted.

The case raised questions about the degree of operation of workers in the field of champagne at 6 billion euros (£ 5.1 billion). With each grain that should be selected by hand, the producers count on about 120,000 seasonal workers each fall, many of which are gaining through agencies.

In 2023, six grain collectors were killed by a suspect in a thermal stroke during the crop in the region of champagne and Bozol – and in recent years, two more criminal cases occurred when agents were found guilty of violent treatment of migrant. harvest.

Trade unions have stated that some champagne houses are hiding behind the intermediaries, and they want the law to change so that the manufacturers can lose the labels “champagne” if you find them used illegal work – even indirectly.

“It should not be possible to gather champagne grapes using human suffering,” Jose Blanca said from the CGT Union.

But the main body representing champagne manufacturers – champagne Comité – said that the cruel treatment of workers was very rare and, when discovered, immediately stopped.

The Committee is presented in court as a civil plaintiff in recognition of the “harm caused by” these “unacceptable practices.