GMB to raise industrial action at meetings

By Ewan Turney

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Industrial action Trade union Gmb

GMB: raising the issue of industrial action again
GMB: raising the issue of industrial action again
Controversial trade union the GMB is to host three meetings to discuss the prospect of industrial action in a bid to help tied tenants secure lower...

Controversial trade union the GMB is to host three meetings to discuss the prospect of industrial action in a bid to help tied tenants secure lower rents.

The meetings will take place on 14 September in Leeds, 15 September in Oxford and on 16 September in Medway, Kent.

Last year the GMB promised to hold a ballot, which has not yet materialised, on taking industrial action starting with a Brulines switch off and possibly ending in a rent strike and so-called "beer-cott", where tenants would buy out of tie.

"At these meetings I want to discuss realistic strategies to encourage tied tenants to unite in a trade union to exercise their rights as directed workers to take industrial action to secure lower dry and wet rents to give them a decent living and stop their pubs closing," said GMB lead organiser Hayley Brennan.

"I also want to discuss alternative strategies to involve customers and politicians in a major campaign to secure changes in legislation to abolish the beer tie and secure fair rents. I will update the meeting on legal cases GMB is taking for its members on issues like Brulines fines and other matters."

The main focus of the meetings will be to highlight to tied tenants the difference between how the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) assesses rent for rateable value purposes and the actual rent paid.

Last month, the GMB wrote to the Government asking why the VOA uses a different method to calculate rent for rateable value purposes than pubcos use.

The trade union had been attempting to show that pubcos were over-charging on rent — by as much as four-fold — but some experts warned it may have simply opened the door for a rates increase at some pubs.

The 1988 Local Government Act states that the rateable value should be equal to the open market rent but the VOA calculates rateable values on pubs as a percentage of turnover rather than using the profits method adopted by the pubcos.

"The purpose of the meeting is to discuss how to take the campaign forward to stop pubs that survived the Blitz and the 1930s slump from going under," said Brennan.

"Current wet and dry rents take no account of the massive decline that has taken place in alcohol consumption in tied pubs since 2004.

"The overall decline in alcohol consumption in society has coincided with the private equity inspired financial engineering in tied pubs that has gone badly wrong.

"This has resulted in sky high rents for tied pubs giving rise to inflated prices which drive customers away."

Related topics Legislation

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