European Trade Unions Caution the World’s Biggest Brewer to Stop Cutting Jobs
Trade unions representing AB InBev workers across Europe have issued a joint statement condemning management’s plan to cut 10 % of the European workforce and warning of possible European actions if things don’t change.
On 8 January 2010 AB InBev management announced its intention to cut 10% of the company’s workforce in Western Europe. Since that date trade unions in Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany and the UK have been cooperating through their European federation, EFFAT, to see how they can best work together to challenge the direction being taken by the company and to maintain jobs.
They have now decided to issue a common statement under the auspices of EFFAT, setting out their common positions and demands on the issue. The statement urges the company to take a more long-term approach to its European businesses and to change the way it deals with its workforce there. It ends by giving notice that:
“We are now preparing ourselves for the worst and we are ready to begin coordinated European actions if and when necessary. However, we urge the decision makers in AB InBev not to allow the situation to deteriorate further in this way. Instead they must take up our challenge and begin to make their European workforce proud and secure in their work once again.”
Notes to Editors:
- AB InBev is the world’s largest brewer with more than 200 brands of beer including Stella Artois, Beck’s, Budweiser & Leffe. Last year they made a $4.6bn billion profit.
- EFFAT is the European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors. We represent 120 national tra
de unions from 35 European countries with more than 2 600 000 members.
- The EFFAT Statement on AB InBev Restructuring is available in English, French,
German and Dutch.
Further information:
Simon Cox
EFFAT TNC/EWC Coordinator
Tel: (+32) 2 209 62 68
Fax: (+32) 2 218 30 18
Mob: (+32) 478 69 02 96
email: s.cox@effat.org