Category: industrial action

Chivas Brothers Faces Holiday Strikes

Workers at two unions representing Chivas Brothers workers have voted in favor of going on strike during the holiday season. 91 percent of Unite members… Read More

Workers at two unions representing Chivas Brothers workers have voted in favor of going on strike during the holiday season. 91 percent of Unite members voted in favor of the strike, while 89 percent of GMB Scotland members voted in favor.

The unions represent around 800 workers at Chivas Brothers distilleries and bottling plants around Scotland, and rejected the company’s offer of a 6.4% wage increase in October.

In a statement, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said “strike action at Chivas Brothers is inevitable unless the current pay offer is improved. Chivas made an eye-watering profit last year, and it can easily afford to offer our members a significantly better offer. Unite will back our Chivas Brothers members all the way in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”

The Pernod Ricard Scotch Whisky unit faces two weeks’ notice of strikes by both unions, which are expected to time their actions around the critical holiday period in December. The unions claim their strikes could disrupt bottling halls and shipments to shops, hotels, and bars during the holidays.

In a comment to just-drinks.com, a Chivas Brothers spokesperson said end-of-year orders have already shipped, meaning strikes would have little impact on the festive season.

Chivas Brothers Faces Strike Votes

Pernod Ricard-owned Chivas Brothers and its two trade unions are locked in a dispute over pay increases. Both Unite and GMB Scotland are threatening strike… Read More

Pernod Ricard-owned Chivas Brothers and its two trade unions are locked in a dispute over pay increases. Both Unite and GMB Scotland are threatening strike votes unless the number-two producer of Scotch whisky increases its offer of a 6.4% pay increase.

The strike could affect The Glenlivet and the company’s 11 other distilleries in Scotland, as well as the main production site in Kilmalid and warehousing operations around central Scotland.

GMB Scotland spokesman David Hume said in a statement, “our members are being asked to accept a pay rise that is below the rate of inflation while reading how the owners are celebrating some of the highest sales ever recorded. Sales of the whisky made in Scotland are booming around the world but the workers making it are told they must accept an effective pay cut in the middle of a cost of living crisis?”

97% of Unite members rejected the offer, according to the union.

In a statement, a Chivas Brothers spokesperson said the offer was competitive and fair.

“We have, and will continue to, reward our people competitively, while responsibly managing our business for the long years ahead. We firmly believe that our offer strikes the right balance, ensuring our salaries remain highly competitive in the context of a normalising business environment and enabling us to build a successful and sustainable future, for the long term – as evidenced by our recent investments in distillery expansions and decarbonisation, site safety and our communities across Scotland.”

The two sides came close to a strike in 2021 before the company raised its pay offer and the unions agreed to a new two-year contract. That contract expired in June, and negotiations have failed to produce a new agreement.