SA Wine Industry's Planned Ethical Seal, Arguably A World-First

(TizWine) - Labour and producers in South Africa's wine industry are united in their backing of a programme to fast-track the implementation of fair labour practices on wine farms and in cellars. The plan is to do so under the aegis of the Wine and Agricultural Industry Ethical Trade Association (WIETA) that will monitor compliance. Established a decade ago, WIETA is a local not-for- profit association that actively promotes ethical trade in the wine industry value chain through training, technical assessment and audits to assess compliance with its code of good practice. Stakeholders include producers, retailers, trade unions, NGOs and government. The fair labour initiative, supported by foreign retailers, the Food & Allied Workers’ Union (FAWU), Sikhula Sonke, Women on Farms, as well as established industry organisations such as the SA Liquor Brandowners’ Association (SALBA), Wine Cellars SA and producer organisation VinPro, envisages the creation of an ethical seal that will testify to reasonable working conditions, based on rigorous and closely monitored qualification criteria.

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