As the weather gets warmer and we all start to shed our coats in favor of t-shirts, pants in favor of shorts, we start to crave those sunny evenings spend in backyards or patios enjoying a few drinks with friends.
For many, namely in the UK, there could be a huge wrench thrown in those plans as employees of one of the largest breweries in the world are potentially going on strike.
Hundreds of employees at one of the largest breweries in the world, the Budweiser Brewing Group in the UK, are threatening to go on strike amid a pay dispute.
The crew is currently fighting for higher wages as the cost of living in the UK continues to rise.
These employees work at various locations in the UK such as Samlesbury and Lancashire. Though it's setting up to be a rather sizeable strike, a BBG spokesperson told the Lancashire Telegraph that they have plans to 'minimise the impact on customers'.
They were presented with a three percent pay increase for 2022, then another three percent increase in 2023, along with a bump in overtime rates.
GMB Union organizer Stephen Boden called the offer 'frankly insulting', also saying that, "[Management at BBG] are choosing to ignore workers and put profit before people with this derisory pay offer."
"Workers are rightly angry and if this strike goes the distance Budweiser could face a summer beer drought," Boden said, "How can they expect hard-working staff to accept a real terms pay cut? 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."
The same BBG spokesperson said, "Our people are our greatest strength, and as such we are proud to offer a competitive package – in the 90th percentile for total compensation – with benefits that include private medical cover and bonuses."
"We’ve made significant investments in Samlesbury which have resulted in further innovation and automation, additional skills development, promotions and many new job opportunities. Over recent years we have increased our headcount by over 65.
"We are hopeful that through a continued open dialogue we can still reach a mutually acceptable way forward which will avoid industrial action."
h/t: LADBible
