Strike action by workers at a plant producing Budweiser, Stella Artois, Becks, and Boddingtons has restarted after the latest round of talks in a long-running pay dispute collapsed.
Hundreds of staff at Budweiser Brewing Group’s site in Salmesbury are now striking until 7 am on 22 October in response to what union leaders describe as a real terms pay cut.
Following a series of strikes at the plant this year, the latest meetings between GMB, the company and conciliation service ACAS collapsed last week after bosses only upped their pay offer by £250 for 2023.
Stephen Boden, GMB Organiser, said: “We don’t believe there is any real desire from Budweiser to resolve this dispute. The work force is losing confidence in the management team.
“Workers are now on strike until Monday. This industrial action will impact all departments and shifts across the site and carries the risk of a Christmas beer drought.
“Budweiser continues to ignore workers and put profit before people with this derisory pay offer. Workers are rightly angry. But it’s not too late for management to listen to workers and get back round the table with us to work out a fair deal.”
On the latest walkout, a spokesperson from the brewer said: “Budweiser Brewing Group has a positive and long-standing relationship with the GMB. We are disappointed that despite exhaustive open negotiations and ACAS conciliation, alignment has not been reached for 2022. We do not anticipate any interruptions to beer supply, nor will there be a beer drought as a result of this process.
“Wages in the brewery are already in the top 10% for the region and a range of benefits are also provided including private medical cover, wellbeing allowance, access to the Verhelst Foundation to support physical and mental wellbeing, a ‘perks at work’ programme, product vouchers, opportunities for scholarship funds and bonuses. Whilst we have concluded the GMB negotiations for 2022, we have taken the decision in the interest of our employees to increase wages by 3% for all Samlesbury Brewery workers and raise the overtime rate to 1.5 effective 1 November 2022. This decision balances the interest of our employees and the challenging operating environment that continues to unfold.
“Although we have not reached an agreement for 2022, we anticipate negotiations for 2023 to open in November, and hope to reach a mutually acceptable result through negotiations.”
BBG’s troubles build on a year of intensifying union action across the retail and manufacturing sectors, and the wider economy.
It was reported this week that some of the UK’s leading food and drink brands could face disruption to packaging supplies in the run-up to the Christmas trading period due to possible strike action.
Meanwhile, the Unite union revealed that around 1,000 of its members at logistics firm GXO would walk out for five days from 31 October as part of a pay dispute. The strikes by delivery drivers could hit pubs and venues supplied by major breweries, including Heineken, Stonegate, Admiral Taverns and Shepherd Neame.
