U.K. Pubs Face Supply Squeeze As Beer Delivery Workers Strike
Around 1,000 employees at GXO Logistics, which handles 40% of beer deliveries in Britain, plan to walk out in a pay dispute.
(Bloomberg) -- Beer delivery workers in the UK say they’ll strike at the end of this month, raising the threat of shortages at pubs and other public venues across the country.
Around 1,000 employees at GXO Logistics Inc, which accounts for around 40% of beer deliveries in Britain, plan to walk out in a pay dispute between Oct. 31 and Nov. 4, the Unite union said Tuesday in a statement.
GXO sites across the country including those at Southampton, Aberdeen, Manchester and Inverness will be affected, the union said.
The planned stoppages come weeks before the start of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men’s football championship, that’s set to kick off in Qatar next month.
“The strikes will impede the ability of pubs and other venues to replenish their cellars prior to the World Cup,” Unite said in the statement, adding more strikes will be scheduled if needed.
GXO said in an email to Bloomberg that it has business continuity plans in place to ensure customers are adequately stocked and to minimize impact on consumers.
The final of the tournament, which is taking place in autumn for the first time, is traditionally the world’s most-viewed single event in the year it’s held.
Read more: Unions Threaten to Fight UK Austerity With Mass Strikes
Workers at Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s Samlesbury site will also stage a walkout through Oct. 22, the GMB union said in a separate statement, citing the collapse of wage negotiations.
(Updates to add GXO comment in sixth paragraph.)
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