“Scrooge” pub bosses could see their boozers left without beer this Christmas as workers prepare to strike over pay, a union has said.
Unite the Union members at Greene King’s brewery will down tools on December 21 after the pub company offered a measly 3 percent wage increase - with inflation currently at 14.2 percent.
The chain pub company offered the increase alongside a one-off payment of £650 after five days of strikes ended on December 9 - but union members voted to continue the walkouts, with Unite saying the current offer would be a “very substantial real terms wage cut”.
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Unite regional officer Mark Jaina said: “The strike action will inevitably result in beer shortages this Christmas and New Year but this dispute is entirely down to Greene King’s own refusal to make a fair pay offer.
“The workers' decision to announce a further seven days of strike action is proof that they remain determined. It’s time the company stopped playing Scrooge and started genuine pay talks.”
Some 188 Unite members employed at Greene King’s brewery will strike between December 21 and December 23 and then again between December 28 and December 31.
It will see production and distribution workers, drivers, and draymen at the company's Bury St Edmunds, Eastwood (Nottinghamshire) and Abingdon (Oxfordshire) sites walk out.
But the union said top bosses could still halt the upcoming strikes by reaching into their pockets at Christmas time.
“Greene King’s ultimate owners are the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchinson Group. They are incredibly wealthy,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
“But workers are only being offered a paltry pay deal which is substantially below the current rate of inflation. When inflation is almost five times higher than the pay deal on the table it means workers are actually being offered a pay cut which is presented as a pay rise.
“Unite members at Greene King will receive the union’s complete and total support throughout their dispute.”
Greene King responded by saying a small minority of union members are attempting to disrupt deliveries to its pubs.
A Greene King spokesperson said: “The majority of our brewing and distribution teams have continued to work and we are incredibly grateful for their hard work and commitment, which has meant disruption has been kept to a minimum and we were able to complete all the deliveries our customers were expecting last week.
“We’ve met regularly with members of Unite over the past few months since the pay rise offer in May and explained how we aim to be fair and consistent across our business, given the challenging wider economic environment currently.
“We are disappointed Unite has not come back to us with sustainable options to discuss and a minority is attempting to disrupt deliveries to pubs. We have robust contingency plans in place so that pubs continue receiving deliveries from us across Christmas and beyond, at a time when pubs need all the support they can get ahead of what look like an incredibly challenging January and February.”
Greene King makes a number of brands including IPA, Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale. It said of Unite's 188 members within the company, around 100 were involved in the last wave of strikes. It added that there was no picket line at the Abingdon depot.
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