Workers at Scotch whisky producer Inver House Distillers are preparing industrial action as pay negotiations with the company have collapsed.
The six-day strike is scheduled to start on 2 June.
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Warehousing and security staff at the company’s head office near Airdrie, Lanarkshire, will strike for four days, the GMB union said in a statement.
The following week, workers at Inver House’s five Highland distilleries — Balblair, Balmenach, Knockdhu, Old Pulteney, and Speyburn — will walk out for two days.
A formal ballot revealed that 78% of GMB members, who are pushing for a 4% pay rise, supported strike action, with 87% backing action short of a strike. The ballot saw a 71% turnout.
David Hume, GMB Scotland organiser in the drinks industry, said that the company’s lack of serious engagement left workers with no choice but to escalate action.
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By GlobalDataHe said: “Those negotiations have not taken place, however, and the company has shown no willingness to begin them. Given the lack of transparent and good faith discussions, our members have no choice but to step up industrial action.
“The company must understand actions have consequences and the consequence of its refusal to engage is a workforce determined to ensure their voice is heard and a fair resolution found.”
The strikes come days after Inver House completed a £7m ($7.8m) project to construct six bonded warehouses at its Airdrie site.
In the release, GMB Scotland urged the company to resume pay talks and “review collective bargaining arrangements to better reflect its membership among distillery, warehouse, and security staff”.
Inver House, owned by InterBev, a subsidiary of ThaiBev, operates a maturation warehouse at its Moffat headquarters near Airdrie.
ThaiBev, one of south-east Asia’s largest drinks companies, reported profits of £600m last year.
