The UK could face a “beer drought” this summer due to planned industrial action at GXO Logistics Drinks Ltd, Unite has warned.
Its draymen had planned two day-long strikes over a “paltry” pay increase of 1.4% which was “well below the current RPI inflation rate of 3.9%”, a spokesman for the union said.
The workers’ anger over the pay offer had been “further exacerbated by them losing between £8,000 and £10,000 over the last year due to furlough and lack of overtime, coupled with no pay increase for 2020”, Unite claimed.
Unite had offered a “manageable inflation increase”, which the company rejected, it said.
Union members employed by the company were based at 26 of its sites and were responsible for about 40% of the beer deliveries to pubs and other hospitality outlets across the UK, said Unite.
The Grocer has approached GXO for comment but it is yet to respond.
The strikes will be held for 24 hours, starting at 10am on Tuesday 24 August and 10am on Thursday 2 September. They will be accompanied by an overtime ban and work to rule starting on 24 August and continuing up to Monday 15 November.
Unite national officer for the drinks industry Joe Clarke said it was “no surprise” the draymen had voted “almost unanimously”.
“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,” he said.
The draymen had been “working flat out” to meet the high demand for beer volumes in pubs as society continued to reopen, Clarke added.
The industrial action comes amid ongoing disruption in the food and drink supply chain caused by the ‘pingdemic’ and HGV driver shortages.
Earlier this week, crisps became the latest category to fall victim to supermarket shortages amid the ongoing driver crisis.
It comes after The Grocer reported shelves were being left stripped of bottled water amid surging demand, production issues and a shortage of hauliers.
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