With a change of prime minister and inflation at a 40-year high, Britons have another worry: Britons could be without beer for a week due to a strike by around 1,000 drivers. They are responsible for around 40% of UK product deliveries.
The shutdown, scheduled for October 31 to November 4, is expected to affect supply to bars and other outlets from major breweries such as Heineken, Stonegate, Admiral Taverns and Shepherd Neem.
The trade union Unite said logistics company GXO’s proposal for a 5% pay rise had been rejected and employers were demanding cuts to sick pay. A spokesman for GXO said the US-based company’s offer of 5% was “significantly higher” and did not affect sick pay.
Europe in crisis
In France, strikes affect more categories and are more popular in the transport sector. The final step was the government’s call for idled refinery workers to return to work to ease fuel shortages.
Fearing a new “yellow vest” protest in 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron approved measures to curb the rise in energy prices, leaving the country with the lowest inflation rate in the Eurozone at -6%. But a strike over wage hikes at refineries led to fuel shortages, prompting the government to order these workers back to work.
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Jane Austen is a writer and contributor covering culture, literature, lifestyle, and society. Her work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, social trends, and the issues shaping everyday life, delivering engaging and accessible content for readers across the United Kingdom.
