Greene King strikes cancelled after agreement is reached with union members

Strike action at Greene King has been called off after an agreement was reached between the pub giant and members of the Unite trade union.

The industrial action had been planned for 12 to 13 March, as well as a further 12 dates, by around 160 workers based in three of Greene King’s 15 distribution centres in Bury St Edmunds, Eastwood and Abingdon.

It followed Unite members' rejection of a 2% pay rise offer, which was described as ‘paltry’.

In a joint statement Greene King and Unite said: “Following collaborative talks we have reached an agreement that has been approved by Unite members within Greene King’s brewing and distribution teams which remains fair and consistent across the brewing division.

"This means the previously announced strike action will not go ahead. We look forward to continuing the constructive working relationship in the future that supports the objectives of the company and its employees as a whole.”

The financial details of the agreement have not been released.

Unite is Britain and Ireland’s largest union and the second largest in the UK. It was formed in 2007 and has 1.2 million members.

Greene King has 38,000 employees and an estate of more than 3,000 pubs. It was sold for £4.6b to CK Asset Holdings in August last year.

Unite to ballot Greene King members over strike action