Carlsberg resolves striking staff issues

Last minute talks have resolved the Carlsberg strike ensuring licensees will have their beer over the Christmas period.

Staff at the Carlsberg brewery in Northampton were set to start 16 days' worth of industrial action, which licensees feared would see them run short of Carlsberg over the busiest time of year for the trade.

However, Scottish depot and delivery workers at Scottish Courage are still pressing for industrial action in the run-up to Christmas. This follows two separate strikes by staff at the threatened Strangeways brewery in Manchester, which brews Boddingtons.

In Scotland alone up to 2,700 pubs could be affected by the planned action in ScotCo's Glasgow, Livingston, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Edinburgh depots.

There had been fears that pubs would run short of brands such as John Smith's and Carlsberg, but Carlsberg and ScotCo have said their customers have no need for concern.

Carlsberg HR director Ian Deninson said: "We have reached a satisfactory settlement which takes an important step towards our goal of increasing flexibility and multi-skilling.

"These improvements will help us meet the needs of our customers."

As this article was posted a spokesman for ScotCo said he was confident the situation would be resolved. "If industrial action were to occur, we would implement plans to maintain beer deliveries and safeguard our business and the businesses of the thousands of bars in Scotland that trade with us," he stated.

Any industrial action would take place over four separate days in the run up to Christmas, with the first day being Wednesday December 8.

The Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) believes corporate greed is to blame for this winter's wave of industrial action.

Franny Joyce, T&G regional industrial organizer, said there was a growing problem: "The main priority for these breweries is to maximise profits, and this means putting the squeeze on their workers. When workers are backed into a corner they fight back."