Champagne: a symbol of glamor and celebration. Tens of thousands of migrant workers head to France every year to harvest grapes in the Champagne region. But some pay a high price to bring this luxury product to market.
While the big champagne brands enjoy record sales, a number of seasonal workers toil in slavery-like conditions, living in shacks or tents in the local forests, and paid a pittance.
Trade unionist José Blanco has been speaking out against the exploitation of migrant harvest workers for years, accusing recruitment agencies of unscrupulous practices. Several subcontractors have already been sentenced to prison for human trafficking and exposing workers to inhumane conditions, but the problem persists. Cheap workers from Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa continue to be exploited. Our documentary features Polish harvest workers who report relying on painkillers to get by; a young Bulgarian who says he was cheated out of his wages and an Afghan who talks about his life working in the fields under appalling conditions.
Lawyer Benjamin Chauveaux has represented several victims in the largest human trafficking trial in Champagne to date. He has gained an insight into a complex system of subcontractors, which has sometimes allowed the major champagne producers to profit from slave-like labor. He says the role played by the major brands in this system has yet to be fully investigated.
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