by FoodBizDaily.com staff writer
January 22 2010 - Danish Carlsberg became another beer major which suffered from the strike of its workers. According to the company’s recent report, around 600 of its brewery workers and drivers in Denmark went on strike on Friday over pay, halting its beer production in the country.
The strike was initiated after the company’s decision not to pay local pay rises for blue collar workers this year following a weak Danish market in 2009, Carlsberg spokesman Jens Bakke said.
According to Carlsberg spokesman Jens Bakke, the number of strikers could reach 1,100 by Sunday. The manager declined to comment on the likely financial effects of the action. "We don't know how long the strike will last," he said.
The soft drinks workers have not yet decided whether to go on strike, Bakke said. Currently Carlsberg's production unit in Denmark, Fredericia, has a yearly beer output of 430 million litres and roughly the same volume of soft drinks.
According to Danish media reports, wage talks between trade unions and employers' organisations are currently underway in Denmark, where Carlsberg is based.
Recal that three days ago another beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev, reached a deal with unions to end a two-week blockade of its local breweries.
FoodBizIntel®
Carlsberg A/S
Address: Ny Carlsberg Vej 100 Copenhagen V, 1760 Denmark
Telephone: +45-33-273300
Fax: +45-33-274808
About Carlsberg A/S
Carlsberg A/S is a Denmark-based company active within the brewing industry. It is the parent company of the Carlsberg Group. The Company's principal business is the operation of breweries, which have a primary focus on the production, retail and marketing of beer, with secondary activities in the soft drink and water production. It offers approximately 500 brands, with a core international brand, Carlsberg Pilsner, supported by such international and regional brands as Tuborg, Baltika, 1664, Holsten, Kronenbourg, Falcon, Pripps, Karhu, Okocim, Feldschloesschen, Ringnes, Wusu and others. The Company is operational worldwide, with activities mainly in Northern, Western and Eastern Europe, as well as in Asia. In addition to its primary business, it is engaged in the development and sale of real estate, particularly at its former brewery sites, and the operation of the Carlsberg Research Center.