Strike At UK's Greene King Brewery Ends Without Resolution

A five-day strike by 188 staff working for brewery giant Greene King has ended without a resolution to a pay dispute and with more action planned after walkouts hit Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, Eastwood, Notts, and Abingdon, Oxon.

Photo Insert: Greene King said it had made contingency plans to keep customers supplied with its products - which include IPA, Abbot Ale and Old Speckled Hen.

Greene King union Unite said its members had rejected an offer of a 3% pay rise and one-off payment of £650, and more strikes were planned for Dec, 21 and Dec. 23. Greene King said it was "disappointed" its offer had been rejected.

Unite said the pay offer was a substantial real-term wage cut, because of inflation. Unite regional officer Mark Jaina said nobody wanted to willingly go out on strike and stand in the freezing cold. He added strike action was not something the union wanted.

"Nobody wants to willingly go out on strike and stand in the freezing cold for five days, eight hours a day, but that's the situation we've been put in," he said. Jaina said workers were "sympathetic to the people that like their favorite tipple, but their wages are of paramount importance."

Greene King said it had made contingency plans to keep customers supplied with its products - which include IPA, Abbot Ale and Old Speckled Hen.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic