The wine industry

The wine industry has truly gone global. South Africa is part of this success story, exporting over 300 million litres of wine a year and now ranking as the world's ninth largest wine-producing country. The UK is by far the largest importer of South African wine, accounting for over 30% of wine exports by volume. Yet despite the commercial success of South African wine, the workers producing the wine suffer from deteriorating conditions.

Many wine workers come from the poorest sections of society and suffer from low wages, harassment and lack of housing. Due to the volatile nature of the wine market and the immense power wielded by major supermarkets, South African wine workers must also contend with irregular employment and face the constant threat of sudden dismissal. Women and migrant workers are particularly at risk as they are more likely to be on seasonal contracts, as well as suffering from discrimination in terms of pay.

To fight the exploitation of workers in supermarket supply chains, War on Want works with groups on the ground like Sikhula Sonke, a women-led trade union and War on Want partner organisation. We also campaign in the UK for legislation which guarantees decent working condition for those at the bottom of supermarket supply chains. Take action now to call for a supermarket watchdog to end the exploitation of workers supplying the UK.

This webpage has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this webpage are the sole responsibility of War on Want and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.