“French champagne makers aim to protect grape harvesters from abuse”

French champagne producers are looking to restore their damaged reputations after four workers died last year amid hot weather, as authorities closed squalid housing and launched probes into suspected human trafficking.

This harvest, the vineyards are taking steps to better protect workers from abuse, in a bid to uphold the reputation of the renowned sparkling wines.

"We have called for the entire sector to mobilise," said Maxime Toubart, who heads the Champagne growers' association…

…CGT trade union have been handing out flyers to grape-pickers, many of whom are Eastern Europeans…

…representatives of the Veuve Clicquot Champagne house kept a close eye on their subcontractor providing temporary labour…

Maxime Mainguet, vice-president of the freshly created federation of subcontractors in Champagne, said problems had piled on for some time before they came to a head last year…

While the CGT trade union has criticised the massive use of migrant workers, which it says drives down wages, Toubart insisted that both French nationals and foreigners receive equal pay and pointed to recruitment difficulties.

"The Champagne name has no interest whatsoever in poor welcome and poor pay," Toubart [Moet & Chandon] said…

[Read more a about allegations of migrant worker rights violations on French vineyards here]