Brewery workers demand 'fair share' of boom times

The brewery company that offered a free beer to everyone in New Zealand last week to celebrate its 75th anniversary is today the target of a strike by angry workers.

Some 170 DB workers are off the job for 24 hours in protest over the company's refusal to give them what they say is a fair pay rise.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said that it was the first national strike at DB in more than 20 years.

"Last week, the company told the public that it had done so well over the past three years that it was celebrating by shouting every New Zealander a free beer, but it is refusing to share the good times with its own workers."

Mr Little said that the workers were seeking a pay rise that was in line with the going rate of five per cent, and wanted it to apply to all wages and conditions.

The company had offered only a four per cent rise on wages, he said.

The strike affects the Otahuhu brewery in Auckland, the Tui brewery at Mangatainoka, the brewery at Timaru and the Montieths brewery on the West Coast.

A DB spokesman said the industrial action could jeopardise the company's offer of a four per cent pay rise plus a 10 per cent bonus.

General manager of human resources and corporate affairs Mark Campbell said he was "a little bit surprised" the union had rejected the offer.

"We think it compares well with those offered in other FMCG [fast moving consumer goods] companies," he told NZPA.

The company had given its workers bonuses for the past three years.

"But it's possible this strike action could bring an end to that.

"It does affect production and that affects our end of year targets."

DB had put "contingency plans" in place for the 24 hour strike and all the breweries affected would be operating at reduced capacity today, he said.

"It just seems to be part of the process that unions are operating at the moment.

"There's a lot of industrial action all over the country."

About 170 staff belonged to the Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union out of a total staff of 520.

- NZPA