“Several companies” are targeted, the Châlons-en-Champagne prosecutor’s office said on Friday.
The Châlons-en-Champagne public prosecutor’s office announced, Friday September 22, that it had opened “two investigations for human trafficking” as part of the grape harvest in Champagne. Céline Fassey, vice-prosecutor of Châlons-en-Champagne, announced the opening of these investigations aimed at “several companies”, without further details on the alleged facts or the companies targeted.
These investigations have not “no link with the deaths of the grape pickers”she said while four grape harvesters in Champagne have died since the beginning of September, in a context of extreme heat.
“Malnutrition” and “precarious health”, according to the CGT
The CGT regional committee mentioned on Friday the opening of an investigation by this prosecutor’s office, denouncing, in an open letter to the prefect of the Grand-Est, “intolerable methods concerning the use of seasonal workers”. “The principals use subcontractors in a cascade without any control, endangering the lives of seasonal workers from West Africa”points out the union, describing situations of “malnutrition” and of “precarious health”.
The opening of these two investigations comes after the closure, by the Marne prefecture, of collective accommodation for grape pickers in Nesle-le-Repons (Marne), judged “unsanitary” And “unworthy”. José Blanco, general secretary of the CGT inter-union of Champagne, then castigated “omerta” that reigns “in the world of Champagne”. “Everyone turns a blind eye because it’s the most expensive grape in the world”, he regretted. For its part, the Confédération paysanne, an agricultural union marked on the left, requested Friday a “vigilance and improvement plan for working conditions and remuneration” for seasonal workers.
At the end of August, Champagne winegrowers obtained from the State a relaxation of the rules for accommodation of seasonal workers during the harvest. In particular, they can accommodate up to ten seasonal workers per room, compared to six previously.