Supplies of the popular Scottish drink Irn-Bru could be hit this summer after some workers employed by A.G. Barr backed strike action in a dispute over pay.
Around a dozen trucker and shunter drivers at the company’s Cumbernauld production and distribution centre backed strike action by 83%. Unite, the union representing the workers, stated that it would issue an update on prospective strike action dates in due course.
The industrial action ballot result follows the rejection of a 5% pay offer from A.G. Barr. The union claims that the offer equates to a “real-terms pay cut” of 6.3%, based on the current RPI rate of 11.3%.
Andy Brown, Unite Industrial Officer, said: “Unite’s members emphatically backed strike action due to A.G. Barr’s tight-fistedness. What’s currently on the table is really taking the fizz. It’s totally unacceptable because the company is cash rich. We remain open to resolving this dispute through negotiation, but unless there is a significant improvement in the pay offer strike action is on the cards.”
A spokesperson for A.G. Barr responded: “We’re disappointed in today’s decision by a small number of our drivers to take industrial action. We have contingency plans in place to maintain customer service, and we will continue to work with Unite representatives to find a positive and constructive resolution.”
