Strike action looms at Chivas sites as workers in vote against pay freeze
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CHIVAS manufacturing could be brought to a standstill this month after workers voted to support industrial action against a company pay freeze plan.
Some 84.4 per cent of GMB union members backed calls for strike action and 92.7 per cent for action short of strike.
This could see industrial action take place from as early as the last week in May, affecting all Chivas Scottish operations, from distillation to bottling, including at The Glenlivet and Aberlour as well as maturation sites in Speyside.
The dispute was prompted after GMB Scotland uncovered that Chivas parent company Pernod Ricard awarded pay rises to its workers in France for this year.
Mediation talks at ACAS collapsed last month after Chivas management refused to lift the pay freeze.
Anger among workers has intensified during the ballot after Pernod Ricard announced promising financial results at the end of April, including sales of €1.96 billion in the three-month period to March 31, with organic growth of 10 per cent expected for the rest of the year.
The GMB represents workers across its Scottish sites.
GMB Scotland organiser Keir Greenaway said: "Chivas workers across Scotland have kept the profits rolling in throughout this pandemic, but also against the headwinds of Brexit and a tariffs war with the US. They deserve much better than a real-terms pay cut.
"It was a low blow for workers to learn they would be the poor relations of the Pernod Ricard family and the recent financial results from the parent company now clearly demonstrate that there is no excuse to value them so badly.
"You can’t build an economic recovery on pay cuts in Scotland’s highly lucrative whisky and spirits sector; there is no 'levelling-up' or 'fair work' agenda here for workers in communities like West Dunbartonshire and Speyside.
"GMB members have sent a clear message that they are prepared to take industrial action to secure better value for their hard work and sacrifice over the last 14 months, and the ball is back in the employer’s court to return with an improved offer."
Chivas Brothers chairman and CEO Jean-Christophe Coutures said: "We are deeply disappointed that our union members have voted in favour of industrial action.
"We maintain that our proposal to our unions – which included guaranteed pay increases in 2021 and 2022 – is fair, and recognises the hard work of our teams whilst responsibly managing our business for the years ahead.
"Despite the result of this vote, we remain committed to seeking a resolution that focuses our collective efforts on achieving long-term business success, job security and growth."
Chivas employs around 1600 people in Scotland and also produces brands such as Ballantines and Royal Salute.
