Brits warned of wine shortage as UK bottling factory plans strike this summer
Those who love a glass of wine at home may be in for some bleak news. Brits are being warned that wine shelves in supermarkets may be left empty this summer due to worker strike action at a UK bottling company.
From June 19 until July 5, over 200 Unite members who work in the Encirc site in Avonmouth, Bristol, are planning to strike over pay. As a result, this will have a major impact on production, which will see less bottles of wine on our supermarket shelves.
Members involved in the strike are workers from across the factory, with some distributing the alcohol from the site, while others are tasked with bottling and packaging red, rose and white wine.
With wine the most popular alcoholic drink in the UK, according to the Mirror, Encirc supplies plonk to all major supermarkets in the country.
With a turnover of over £600million, Unite says that Encirc is a "very profitable company" as it supplies a variation of wine packaging, including boxes, bags and bottles.
According to Unite, the firm only offered their workers a 3.2 per cent pay rise. This was done without negotiating with Unite and the firm has gone on to repeatedly state that it will only be giving pay rises that are tied to inflation from now on.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Encirc's meanness to its workers is all about greed and not need. This is a very lucrative company that can fully afford to pay its workers properly but it is choosing not to.
"Unite will not stand idly by and allow Encric to steal our members hard won rights. Encirc workers deserve better and they have Unite's full support throughout this dispute."
Workers from different areas of the business are set to take strike action on different dates and times from June 19 to July 5. This action will have a big impact on production schedules, with the union also saying that a 12-week overtime ban is set to take place.
Unite regional officer John Sweeney said: "There is no doubt that this action will hit supermarket shelves. While shortages may be frustrating for customers looking to enjoy a bottle of wine this summer, the situation is entirely of Encirc's own making.
"Management has constantly refused to engage meaningfully. Encirc needs to return to the negotiating table with a vastly improved offer."
Elsewhere, other forms of strike action are set to take place this summer, with workers from Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports threatening to walk out, which will cause major travel disruption for holiday goers.
This is due to workers rejecting "unacceptable" pay offers from their employer Menzies Aviation.
From around 300 workers at Glasgow Airport, an astounding 97 per cent voted to reject the proposed deals, with 100 per cent of a similar number of workers at Edinburgh Airport doing the same.
Unless Menzies Aviation can present a better offer, the union warns it will be forced to ballot members for strike action, in turn causing havoc for summer travel.
Unite industrial officer Carrie Binnie said: "Summer strike action looms over Edinburgh and Glasgow airports because the pay offers on the table from Menzies Aviation aren't good enough."
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