Lancashire brewery workers take action over sacked colleague

Members of the GMB union at AB-InBev's Samlesbury Brewery are set to take industrial action in solidarity with a sacked colleague.
Samlesbury BrewerySamlesbury Brewery
Samlesbury Brewery

GMB members will take industrial action at the Budweiser brewery after a worker was reportedly sacked for raising health and safety concerns.

Members will commence a continuous overtime ban on August 13 as part of the fight to have their colleague reinstated.

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Paul Morley, who was the site’s senior health and safety rep, was dismissed on June 13 for ‘refusing a reasonable management request’.

Mr Morley had raised concerns over a management initiative to speed up the brewing process.

He said management had not conducted a proper assessment into fatigue caused by the new process.

As a result, he was sacked.

Shaun Buckley, GMB Regional Organiser, said: “GMB members at InBev are taking industrial action in solidarity with Paul Morley as they press for him to be reinstated.

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“For Paul to be dismissed when he was looking out for the health and safety of his colleagues is a scandal and our members are taking the fight for his job right to the company."

An AB InBev spokesman said: "As a responsible brewer and business, health and safety is our number one priority. While we can’t go into detail on individual or ongoing employee cases, we want to emphasise that we did not dismiss the employee in question for raising health and safety concerns and would never dismiss any employee for such reason.

“We take our commitment to health and safety seriously and ensure that all processes adhere to our high standards, as well as to legal requirements. The safety of our processes has been confirmed using a certified assessment tool from the UK body, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).

"As part of our usual approach and focus on the health, safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, we will continue to have a dialogue with trade union representatives."