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'Ethical wine seal' shows labour rights support

8 May 2012

According to Business Day, wine producers and trade unions gave their support to a programme encouraging fair labour practices on wine farms, after a damning Human Rights Watch report exposed incidents of exploitation of Western Cape workers.

The project could help the wine industry to mend its tarnished international reputation, with qualifying wine producers allowed to display a seal on wines to show they protect workers rights and uphold South Africa's labour laws.

Last year's Human Rights Watch report attracted criticism from the sector, which claimed it was biased, tarred the whole industry with the same brush, and did not distinguish between wine farms and grape farms. The report revealed that wine industry workers were among the lowest paid, with living conditions on some of the farms being sub-standard and inhumane, Business Day reports.

Read the full article on www.businessday.co.za.