Workers go on strike at Guinness canning factory

Staff working at a Guinness canning factory in Belfast, owned by international drinks firm Diageo, have begun strike action in protest over their pay.

The trade union Unite said about 90 Diageo workers began an eight-day strike on Friday which is expected to continue until 06:59 GMT on 20 December.

The union said workers are seeking a pay deal that would end their pay gap with those working at Diageo’s other Guinness packaging site in Runcorn, England.

Diageo said it had contingency plans in place which would ensure there would be no disruption to the supply of Guinness products over the Christmas period.

Billy McFarlane, a union representative and a worker at the site, said that they were taking action “to improve the offer and bring the company back to the table”.

Mr McFarlane told Good Morning Ulster that he has worked there for 27 years and there had never been this kind of action taken before.

Mr McFarlane explained: “We have a sister site in England on a much higher salary rate of pay.

“With the increasing cost of living, what the business has brought to the table is insufficient,” he continued.

He said that “a much more substantial offer” was needed to achieve fair pay for workers.

Unite pointed out that Diageo is “one of the largest and most profitable drinks companies in the world,” having reported global net profits of more than $2.5bn (£1.7bn) earlier this year.

“It can afford to level up its workers’ pay but has chosen to put profits before people,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.

“It needs to recognise the determination of this workforce to win fair pay and make a fair pay offer.”

Michael Keenan, a regional officer for Unite, said: “Workers here aren’t being treated as fairly as their counterparts in England.”

He said that “their basic wage is just above minimum wage.”

“Zero Guinness is a very profitable product,” he continued.

The workers were due to begin industrial action last week, but this was suspended by the union to give workers time to consider a new pay offer.

Unite has since described Diageo’s revised offer as “inadequate” and said the Belfast workers “voted overwhelmingly” to reject it.

In a statement, a Diageo spokesperson said it was “disappointed by the outcome of the vote” claiming its pay offer was “more than fair and reasonable”.

However the firm said it respected the right of employees to take industrial action.

They added that Diageo remains “committed to constructive dialogue with the union and its representatives to reach a resolution that supports the long-term competitiveness of the packaging site and the interests of our people”.

The Belfast site is among more than 110 manufacturing sites operated by Diageo across the world.

The firm owns more than 200 brands and employs a total of more than 29,000 people.

Its Guinness products are brewed in the Republic of Ireland and then transported to Belfast and Runcorn for packaging.

Guinness 0.0 products are canned in the Belfast factory while the Runcorn facility carries out the kegging, bottling and canning of Guinness Draught products.

Diageo recently committed a £41m investment to both packaging sites, installing a new canning line in Belfast and upgrading its bottling capability in Runcorn.