French wine entrepreneurs prefer Spanish grape harvesters over other seasonal workers of different nationalities due to their high level of professionalism. This was stated on Monday by the secretary of the Agro-food sector of UGT-FICA, Javier Velasco, during the presentation of the campaign that will take nearly 13,000 Spanish workers to carry out the grape harvest in France. These workers will have, at a minimum, a salary of 2,156 euros per month for 35-hour work weeks. Beyond that, overtime will be paid more, added the union official.
In 2026, the number of workers who will move to France will be slightly lower compared to the 13,500 who traveled last year, according to UGT-FICA forecasts. However, union leaders estimate that 90% of seasonal workers “repeat” due to better working conditions and because French employers rely on them due to “their high professionalism.”
Velasco highlighted that the remuneration of these workers almost doubles the Spanish minimum wage. Specifically, he noted that the minimum hourly wage in France is 12.32 euros (compared to 8.90 euros in Spain), which translates into a salary increase of “almost 30 euros more per day” for a full workday. Thus, overtime pay ranges between 15.40 euros (with a 25% surcharge for shifts up to 43 hours) and 18.48 euros (50% more if that limit is exceeded).
Additionally, the coordinator of the Agro-food Sector Working Group of the union organization, Sebastián Serena, added that French legislation provides for an exemption from the employee’s sickness and retirement contributions of 12.25%, “without this implying a loss of retirement rights.”
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Regarding the profile of seasonal workers traveling from Spain, UGT-FICA representatives have indicated that it is “very balanced” and is composed of 58% men and 42% women. They mostly come from Andalusia (provinces such as Cádiz, Seville, Jaén, or Almería), Castilla-La Mancha (especially from the Valdepeñas area in Ciudad Real), and Murcia. Regarding transportation, Serena noted a growing trend, as “more and more people are traveling in their own shared cars” instead of using the traditional regular bus. For the latter, the union will continue distributing informational guides at key points where collective transport departs.
However, the union has warned about possible scams that some intermediaries or placement agencies or private Temporary Employment Agencies (ETT) may carry out, charging commissions or non-mandatory management fees for transport and accommodation. In this regard, they recommend always signing the contract at the origin directly with the French employer and then verifying that one is registered with the French Social Security.