Fears of a beer shortage ahead of the August bank holiday weekend have been sparked after delivery drivers voted to strike.
The drivers work for logistics firm GXO which supplies 40 per cent of UK pub and restaurant beers, including brands such as Heineken.
Trade union Unite said around 1,000 drivers, who work from 26 sites, will go on strike for 24 hours from 10am on August 24.
There will also be an overtime ban and “work to rule” measures will be in place starting on August 24 and continuing up to November 15.
"Work to rule" is where employees work exactly to their hours to reduce output and efficiency.
A second 24-hour walkout by GXO drivers will follow on September 2.
The start of the disruption is due to kick off just days before the August bank holiday, which falls on Monday, August 30, this year.
It also comes on top of the so-called “pingdemic” which is contributing toward a shortage of HGV drivers in the UK.
There is an estimated shortfall of 100,000 drivers, with travel restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit also being blamed for the lack of workers.
According to Unite, its members voted for strike action by 97 per cent and for industrial action short of a strike by 99 per cent over the company’s offer of a 1.4 per cent pay rise.
Unite slammed the increase as "paltry" and said it is "well below the current RPI inflation rate of 3.9 per cent".
Unite national officer for the drinks industry Joe Clarke said: “Our members have suffered great financial hardship during the pandemic with some of them losing up to £10,000 through being furloughed and picking up no overtime.
“Our mandate for such action is resounding and reflects the deep anger felt by our members over their treatment by the bosses.
“The threat of a late summer beer drought now increases for Britain’s thirsty beer drinkers as our members make 40 per cent of the beer deliveries in the country.”
A spokesperson for GXO said: "We favour dialogue in all our negotiations.
"Discussions are ongoing in order to reach agreement, in particular for the hospitality sector that is only now emerging from the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown.”
