Moroccan Workers Allege Modern Slavery in French Wine Industry

These workers all come from the same family. They had left Sidi Kacem, Kénitra or Béni Mellal to join France. Among them, seven have signed a fixed-term contract of four months with the employer - a wine entrepreneur - since August 2022 and have obtained a residence permit to work on French territory. The boss sent them to wine estates in the region. "All the châteaux in the area know me, says Ahmed, 50 years old. I have worked in at least five or six of them."

These nine workers explained to about twenty Insoumis activists and members of local associations, who responded to the call of Christophe Delgado, from the association Cœur de bastide, that they were only paid one month - about 1,500 euros each - out of the four. There would not be an employment contract linking two of them to the wine entrepreneur. They go to the employer’s residence in Lamothe-Montravel to claim their due from their employer, residing in Lamothe-Montravel. They claim to have been threatened with death and held at gunpoint by the son of the latter. On Thursday, a complaint for death threats was filed with the gendarmerie, accompanied by the association Cœur de bastide.

The association and the twenty Insoumis activists and members of local associations were able to observe the unworthy conditions in which they were housed. "Sanitary and comfort conditions that rather evoke a country at war." Makeshift construction site bungalows placed there in a precarious balance and without any comfort. "It ended up raining inside and with the cold on top of that, he [EDITOR’S NOTE: the employer] told us we could move into the house next door if we did the work ourselves," says Ahmed. The "house", renovated, does not offer them better conditions. The electricity comes directly from a wild connection to the nearest pylon. For the activists, this is nothing less than "modern slavery."

Together, the Abbé Pierre Foundation, La France insoumise, the associations La Crise and Ruelle are committed to getting these nine Moroccans out of this situation before the expiration of their residence permit. An emergency kitty has been launched to raise funds to feed them in the coming days.