Greene King strikes cancelled

Workers were set to strike on Thursday and Friday (12-13 March), with action scheduled at Greene King’s Bury St Edmunds headquarters and distribution centres at Abingdon, Oxfordshire; and Eastwood, Nottinghamshire.
Some 160 delivery and production employees had planned several strikes into the summer months, with their union Unite.
In a joint statement, Greene King and Unite the Union said: “Following collaborative talks, we have reached an agreement that has been approved by Unite members within Greene King’s brewing and distribution teams, which remains fair and consistent across the brewing division."
Constructive relationship
They added: “This means the previously announced strike action will not go ahead.
“We look forward to continuing the constructive working relationship in the future that supports the objectives of the company and its employees as a whole.”
The brewing company had previously assured pubs that any disruption from these strikes would be minimal as only three out of 15 depots across the country would be affected.
The union took issue with years of 2% annual pay rises that it said did not match the ever-increasing costs of living. Details of the latest pay agreement were not revealed.
A £2.7bn deal for Greene King to be taken over by Hong Kong company CK Bidco – a newly incorporated subsidiary of Hong Kong-based property developer CK Asset Holdings – was completed last year.