Beer taps to run dry if logistics staff vote to strike
As if the hospitality industry didn’t have it tough enough, industrial action could be set to make it even tougher.
Union officials are warning of a ‘beer drought’ if around 1,000 workers integral to the delivery of 40 per cent of the UK’s beers vote to strike after a below-inflation pay offer.
Staff at XPO Logistics Drinks will be balloted next week, reports the Daily Telegraph.
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Joe Clarke, an officer for Unite, told the Telegraph that “our members have suffered great financial hardship during the pandemic with some of them losing up to £10,000 through being furloughed and picking up no overtime. The company has responded by offering a paltry 1.4pc.”
The firm is one of the UK’s largest players in drinks deliveries, having acquired Kuehne and Nagel last year.
Pubs and bars operate on just-in-time deliveries for many of their beer deliveries, with both ale and lager operating on relatively short shelf-lives.
The industry is in the middle of a staffing crisis due to the so-called ‘pingdemic,’ with staff being asked to self-isolate at late notice.