South African Wineries Deny Accusations of Worker Misery
South African Wineries Deny Accusations of Worker Misery
Sep 27, 2011 6
(WineSpectator) - A disturbing report from the international organization Human Rights Watch has accused South Africa's fruit farms and grapegrowers of subjecting their agricultural workers to inhuman conditions. But members of the wine industry are calling the report a smear job, pointing out that the organization investigated less than 1 percent of the nation's grape farms. They're fighting back against what they say is an attempt to hurt export sales.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international nongovernmental organization that monitors rights issues, released the report in late August. Staff members interviewed fruit and grape farm workers, farmers, labor organizers and charity workers in the Western Cape region, the heart of the country's wine industry. The report details workers living in dilapidated housing. One 40-year-old farm worker said he and his family had been living in a pig stall for 10 years. Others said farmers forcibly evicted them.
Comments