Workers at the UK plant that brews Budweiser, Stella Artois, Becks, Boddingtons and Export Pale Ale have gone on strike again after talks collapsed, according to the union. Staff at the beer giant’s Samlesbury site will now strike until 7am on October 22 over what they are calling a real-terms pay cut.
Meetings between GMB, Budweiser and conciliation service ACAS collapsed last week after bosses upped their offer by £250 for 2023.
Stephen Boden, GMB Organiser, said: ‘’We don’t believe there is any real desire from Budweiser to resolve this dispute. The work force is losing confidence in the management team.
‘‘Workers are now on strike until Monday. This industrial action will impact all departments and shifts across the site and carries the risk of a Christmas beer drought. Budweiser continues to ignore workers and put profit before people with this derisory pay offer. Workers are rightly angry.
“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.”
A spokesperson for the brewing group previously said: “Budweiser Brewing Group has a positive and long-standing relationship with the GMB, however despite continued open negotiations, the GMB have confirmed industrial action at our Samlesbury brewery.
"We remain committed to finding a mutually acceptable outcome and have been making every effort to manage the negotiations in the most productive manner.
"Our people are our greatest strength, and as such we are proud to offer a competitive package – wages in the Brewery are in the top 10% for the region and a range of benefits are provided.
"We’ve made significant investments in Samlesbury which have resulted in further innovation and automation, additional skills development, promotions and many new job opportunities."
