Anheuser-Busch InBev has said its Belgian beer operations are at a standstill after talks with trade unions failed to end worker blockades on the firm’s breweries.
Operations in Belgium are at a “total standstill”, the Stella Artois brewer said today (20 January).
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Workers have been blocking the entrances to A-B InBev’s breweries at Louvain and Jupille for 13 days, in protest at the firm’s plan to cut 10% of its workforce in Belgium. The Hoegaarden brewery has been blocked for nearly a week.
Belgian bars, restaurants and retailers face supply shortages of the group’s beers, which also include Jupiler and Leffe.
A meeting with trade unions and a Belgian Government moderator “produced no result” yesterday, A-B InBev said. “Unions rejected the proposals from the moderator,” it said.
More crisis talks are scheduled for later today.
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By GlobalDataA-B InBev secured a court injunction late last week that enables it to forcibly end the blockade.
But, a group spokesperson told just-drinks this week that it “prefers and maintains its belief in a constructive social dialogue”.
Up to 263 jobs could be cut in Belgium under A-B InBev’s restructuring plans, which it says are necessary to ensure long-term viability in a shrinking beer market.
The group plans to cut around 10% of jobs across Western Europe.
