Pubs boycott CUB beers in support of sacked workers
In one of the most extraordinary episodes in Australian industrial relations history, the owners and operators of pubs across the country have slapped a boycott on CUB beers to show support for 55 workers who lost their jobs at Carlton & United Breweries.
The electricians and fitters were sacked when CUB terminated a machine maintenance contract with employer Quant. Where it got complicated was that the workers were offered their jobs back with a different employer. But according to the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the job offer is 65 per cent lower than their original positions after penalty rates and other entitlements are taken into account.
As a result, workers have been protesting outside the gates of the Abbotsford brewery for 12 hours a day for the past four weeks.
Social media users have taken to the popular VB Facebook page to tell the brewery in no uncertain terms how the public feels about what has happened.
The brewery meanwhile is bussing non-union replacement labour in and out of the site every day past picketing workers.
For its part, CUB says the tradesmen who lost their job had been paid out with all the due redundancy entitlements and CUB's new contractor, Programmed, was offering market competitive and above award jobs.
Still, pubs across the country are now boycotting CUB produced beers such as Carlton Draught, Crown Lager and the most popular beer in Australia, Victoria Bitter.
Queensland-based Grand Hotel Yamanto has expressed its support for the sacked workers on its Facebook page:
“Australia's #1 selling beer VB will remain off tap at this venue until further notice.
Some CUB lines will be stocked from Tuesday by the bottle, this WILL NOT Include VB.
Could you survive on 65% of the wage you'll receive this week?”
Michael Falvey, administrator for the Grand Hotel Yamanto whose parents own the pub said most of the pub’s patrons supported taking the beers off tap although it riled some customers.
“When you take the number one beer off tap, there’s always someone who’s going to be upset,’’ Falvey told Smart Company. “Most people have been good about it, and they all agree that what’s happening is wrong.”
by Leon Gettler, 1st August 2016
