Staff at Carlisle drinks can factory set to strike over pay row

Carlisle drinks can manufacturer hit by strikes after ‘unacceptable’ pay offer

Workers at the Crown Bevcan soft and alcoholic drinks can factory in Carlisle will strike over an ‘unacceptable’ pay offer from the company.

Around 200 workers, members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, will stage two 24 hour strikes on 11 May and 14 May after rejecting a three per cent pay offer plus a one-off payment. More strikes will be scheduled if an acceptable offer is not put forward by the company.

The production workers are seeking a pay deal that reflects the rising cost of living.

Crown Bevcan is part of the Crown Holdings group. In 2021, Crown Holdings’ net sales came to more than £8.4 billion, with around £2 billion brought in by the group’s European division.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Crown Holdings makes billions yet it expects its Carlisle workers to accept what amounts to a pay cut. This is plain boardroom greed and it is unacceptable to Unite.

“Crown Holdings needs to think again and offer a deal that reflects the punishing living costs our members are having to cope with.”

In its financial report for 2021, the company boasts that its ‘adjusted earnings per share increased by 29 per cent over the previous year and by 47 per cent over the three-year period beginning in 2019’.

Unite regional officer Malcolm Carruthers said: “Crown Holdings can clearly afford to give its workers a fair pay rise. There is still time to call the strike action off, but for that to happen Crown must return to negotiations with an offer our members can accept.”

Unite is dedicated to advancing the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and will fight back against any efforts to diminish workers' living standards.