Decanter World Wine AwardsWines of South Africa protests Guardian 'boycott' poll
- Monday 28 January 2013
The online poll in the Guardian asks readers, ‘Will you boycott South African wine?'
An explanatory paragraph says, ‘Agricultural union leaders in South Africa are calling for consumers to boycott wine, grapes and granny smith apples as workers protest against pay and conditions. Many of the 500,000 farm workers on the western Cape are demanding a pay rise from £4.92 to £10.62 a day – will you join the boycott?’
The poll, which is linked to the paper’s news stories covering the South African strikes, resulted in 1012 (59%) ‘Yes’ votes and (707) 41% ‘No’ votes.
There are 140 comments from readers, many supporting a boycott.
Su Birch, CEO of Wines of South Africa, says in her open lettter to the Guardian, ‘The coverage unfairly targets the South African wine industry and has the potential to do unimaginable damage to an industry that is working hard, through its support of the Wine and Agricultural Industry Ethical Association (WIETA), and also Fairtrade, to ensure the ethical treatment of workers.’
She reiterates her argument – as reported on Decanter.com – that the strike action ‘does not appear to be connected to the wine industry…It is also worth noting that the ruling party, ANC, and trade union Cosato have called for an end to the strikes.'
She adds, ‘Whilst we acknowledge that work is still to be done, South Africa is the largest producer of Fair Trade wines in the world and the initiatives by WIETA are making real, tangible progress that puts South Africa at the forefront of ethical, social sustainability.’
Have your say!
Su Birch
January 30 13:07
Fairtrade South Africa informed us in January this year that 65% of all Fairtrade wines sold originate from South Africa.
Trevor G
January 30 07:20
All those considering a boycott, please remember that the South Africans are in a price takers market with supermarkets dictating the price.Under these conditions the vast majority of farms are trying to ensure best practices on their farms. The riots have been driven by seasonal workers with no continuity to the farms and their employers. The permanent workers are undoubtedly better off both from a pay as well as fringe benefits point of view(housing,medical,services).The casuals are more often paid incentives that increases their daily earnings.It is folly to boycott,thereby lessening the prospects of employment thereby worsening the conditions for the vulnerable.Also be advised that there are other agendas in play that have zero to do with pay!
Konrad Ejbich
January 28 16:12
Sue, you say, "...South Africa is the largest producer of Fair Trade wines in the world..." Can you please substantiate that "fact" with some proof? Do you mean SA is the largest producer of wine and makes "some" Fair Trade wine, or that "all" SA wine is Fair Trade?
Jon van der Walt
January 28 11:33
No more than you would expect from the economically illiterate Guardian readership. Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost on the mines since the strikes there! These workers will also loose their jobs if the farms cannot sell their wine. I will now switch to SA wines to make up the difference!