Amid a change of prime minister and inflation at its highest level in 40 years, Britons have one more worry: about 1,000 drivers could run out of beer for a week after they went on strike. They are responsible for around 40% of UK product deliveries.
The shutdown, scheduled for October 31 to November 4, is expected to affect supply to bars and other outlets from major breweries such as Heineken, Stonegate, Admiral Taverns and Shepherd Neem.
The Unite union said logistics company GXO’s proposal for a 5% pay rise has been rejected and employers are demanding reduced sick pay. A spokesman for GXO said the US-based company’s offer of 5% was “significantly higher” and did not affect sick pay.
Europe in crisis
In France, strikes affect more categories and are more popular in the transport sector. The final step was the government’s call for idled refinery workers to return to work to ease fuel shortages.
Fearing a new “yellow vest” protest in 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron approved measures to curb the rise in energy prices, leaving the country with the lowest inflation rate in the Eurozone – 6%. But a strike over wage hikes at refineries led to fuel shortages, prompting the government to order these workers back to work.
