New words from the news story!
Slavery is any system in which principles of property law are applied to people, allowing some people to own, buy and sell other people. (People are treated like property)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery
sort (verb) to arrange things in groups or in a particular order according to their type, etc.; to separate things of one type from others
~ sort something
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/sort_2
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/middleman#middleman__4
The middle man buys the product from the factory for $5. He then sells the product to the store for $8 and the store sells it to the customers for $11.
benefactor (noun) a person who gives money or other help to a person or an organization such as a school or charity
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/benefactor?q=benefactor
seize (verb) (seize something) to take illegal or stolen goods away from somebody
~ In the news story the government takes property and money from the middlemen
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/seize?q=seize
🎧Audio here↓
Read the story below.
No doubt, Italian wine is good. The story behind that bottle may not be so good. In fact, it’s a tale of modern slavery.
The job is picking and sorting grapes. Women do it. Sometimes they do it for twelve hours a day.
Paola Clemente started her day at 1:50 a.m. She took a private bus to the vineyard. After twelve hours of work, her take-home pay was about $29. The middlemen who control the jobs take their money before it gets to the worker.
Workers, such as Ms. Clemente, would not and could not complain. The only way to get work was through the middlemen. They controlled the labor market. (The opportunity to work)
Paola Clemente died of a heart attack while working in the fields. She was 49. Her death started an investigation.
Two years later, the results of the investigation are in. Results of the inquiry showed how the system used poor women. Fear is the most important thing. An expert said, “It was a system of slaves.”
Farm owners paid middlemen to pick up and take the women to the vineyard. Sometimes, the middlemen charged two-thirds of the women’s pay as the cost of the ride. The women were not paid for their time on the bus, which could be 5 hours!
If the women complained, the recruiter would threaten not to call them anymore. A recruiter told one worker, “Another woman can take your place.”
Several women said the middlemen were benefactors. They were lucky to have the work.
Italy passed a new law against underpaying workers. Breaking this law can lead to jail sentences and strong fines. It allows for the seizing of property and bank accounts. Is it working? Some middlemen went to jail. But real change is difficult and takes a long time.
Source: The New York Times April 11, 2017
http://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/slavery-in-sorting-italian-grapes-for-wine/
