Macallan Distillery Engineers Prepare to Go on Strike Over Pay Dispute

(Photo: Press Association via AP Images)

Engineers at The Macallan, Glenrothes and Parkmore distilleries have announced seven days of strikes beginning on Nov. 10 following dissatisfaction over rota changes.

GMB Scotland, the union that represents the team of 12, claims that parent company Edrington has imposed a five-day work week without any prior agreement. For the past two years, the engineers have worked four-day weeks, and now claim that they’ve been compelled to work an additional day without extra pay. GMB Scotland estimates that the switch, imposed in August, has doubled the time spent on call and decreased workers’ allowances by US$6,668.

The strike action was unanimously approved by all engineers during a vote in September. Four days of additional strikes are expected in November, followed by ten in December and eight in January,

“Our members are absolutely united in their determination to protect the rota from needless and hugely disruptive change,” GMB Scotland organizer Lesley-Anne MacAskill said in a statement to The Spirits Business. “The unanimous support for action is only one indication of how badly managers have handled this issue and the determination of workers to find a fairer way forward.”

“Our members have been ordered to work more days for less money and endure wide-ranging disruption to their lives for no good reason or practical purpose. If managers are surprised by the overwhelming willingness to take strike action, they shouldn’t be.”

The Edrington Group employs well over 3,000 workers worldwide, approximately 1,000 of whom are based in Scotland. In addition to acclaimed whisky brands The Macallan, Highland Park and The Famous Grouse, the company owns Brugal Rum and No. 3 London Dry Gin.

Management says that the rota changes were necessary to ensure on-call coverage at its Scottish facilities. The company claims that it’s already made significant compromises, adding that engineers can choose to work three four-day weeks out of every 11-week block under the current rota plan.

“We are deeply disappointed that the GMB ballot has chosen to take industrial action,” an Edrington spokesperson told Grampian Online. “We have been in constant dialogue with the 12 engineers involved since January and we have already made significant changes and compromises to our original proposal.”

“We have a responsibility to balance the requirements of our distillery operations in a way that is fair to all our people and the compromises on working hours for our engineering team are now appropriately aligned with the other teams and the needs of the business.”