Trade union brands industry mediation meetings "a sham

A leading trade union has described as a "sham" efforts by the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) to find a solution to the issue of the beer tie.

The General & Municipal Workers (GMB) union said its representatives would not be attending the second ALMR mediation meeting, taking place this Thursday (July 9), which it said was "part of a paper chase, to be conducted by 'suits', to hoodwink and sidetrack desperate publicans".

The ALMR's first get-together, which took place last month, was attended by a number of leading pubcos including Punch Taverns, trade groups including the BII and the British Beer & Pub Association, and anti-beer tie group Fair Pint.

It was deemed by some participants as a welcome first step towards bringing together the disparate elements of the industry.

However the GMB's general secretary Paul Kenny, said the very pubcos that are taking part in the process are "part of the problem".

"They have spent years closing pubs and raking in profits when they should have been working with publicans," he said.

"Now they want publicans to help clean up their mess.

"This mediation been set up and paid for by the very property companies that were found to be exploiting their publicans by the House of Commons Select Committee."

The GMB said it would organise a series of town meetings "to end the disparity in power between the tenants and pubcos".

The union would also offer legal advice to tenants "facing unjustified charges from pubcos and resist these", Kenny added, and contest tenant evictions.

The ALMR was unavailable for comment.