About
Recent events, such as issues in the Champagne and Bordeaux regions in 2023, have highlighted the need for greater focus on the conditions of workers, particularly seasonal and migrant labour. SWR is committed to addressing these challenges, fostering collaboration across the supply chain to ensure fair labour practices and improved working conditions throughout the industry.
To begin addressing these challenges, SWR hosted a three-part workshop series in Autumn 2023 focusing on labour conditions and human rights due diligence. These workshops highlighted the urgency of these challenges and initiated a collective effort to drive meaningful change across the sector.
In addition to these workshops, SWR has worked directly with regional denominations, associations, and other groups to raise awareness and foster collaboration on labor rights issues.
Why it matters
Ensuring fair labour standards is not only a matter of social responsibility but also critical to the long-term sustainability of the wine industry. Reports from organisations like Oxfam, investigating the wine industry in Italy, and Finnwatch, examining conditions in South Africa, have uncovered serious issues related to working conditions in key wine-producing regions. Seasonal workers, often migrants, face challenges such as inadequate working conditions and housing during the harvest period.
It is a matter of some urgency that the wine sector get to grips with more challenging labour rights issues such as modern slavery, bonded and child labour, and the living income. Evolving regulatory pressures, exemplified by the EU’s supply chain due diligence legislation, will mean that addressing these issues will become a matter of market access for many wine producers.
By addressing these issues, the wine industry can uphold its commitment to ethical practices, enhance its reputation, and ensure a fair and just workplace.
Our goal
By fostering collaboration between growers, producers, retailers, and other stakeholders, we aim to promote transparency, improve working conditions, and address critical issues such as modern slavery, fair wages, and worker housing. Our long-term vision is to set a higher industry standard for labour rights, aligned with evolving regulatory frameworks and best practices from around the world.
Our approach
- Education & Awareness: We will continue to organise workshops, webinars, and seminars to raise awareness about labour rights issues, share best practices, and promote solutions.
- Collaboration & Dialogue: We are working closely with growers, wineries, retailers, and regulatory bodies to create open lines of communication and foster collaborative efforts to address labour challenges.
- Practical Tools: SWR is developing self-assessment guides and best practice resources to help vineyards and wineries identify potential labour issues and take proactive steps to address them.
- Influence & Advocacy: We will engage with policymakers and industry leaders to ensure that labour standards are recognised as a critical aspect of sustainability, influencing future regulations and policies in line with ethical labour practices.
Benefits to supporters
Access to a practical process to raise the often-challenging issues
relating to labour rights in order to find solutions that engage the whole value chain
A practical tool
to conduct a straightforward assessment of any issues that may exist in a given location.
Access to a network of expertise
derived from those who are addressing these issues, and the solutions which they are generating.
Access to analysis
undertaken by other supporters, through the dedicated area within the SWR member’s forum dedicated to this action area.
Looking ahead
SWR is actively en gaging with growers, wineries, and retailers to raise awareness and develop practical solutions to improve labour standards. Through face-to-face meetings and collaboration with regional bodies, we are laying the groundwork for systemic change.
In the coming months, SWR will roll out a series of webinars to further highlight the challenges and explore actionable solutions. Additionally, we are developing a self-assessment guide to help vineyards and wineries identify and address labour-related issues.
Take action
Interested in taking part in this critical initiative? Learn more about our work on labour standards and join us today by contacting info@swroundtable.org.
