The Burton Mail reports that the new deal proposed cutting £1,700 ($2500) from the salaries of permanent staff at the firm’s breweries in Burton-On-Trent and Shobnall Maltings over two years.
This marks a climb down from an original plan to cut £9000 from the wages of 184 technicians; redundancy was also proposed for only 12 workers rather than 26 under the former plan.
But the offer was narrowly rejected in a ballot of union members, and Unite the Union said it would consult with staff on the next step to take.
Radio silence from Unite
Discussing on the situation at Burton-On-Trent, Regional officer for Unite, Rick Coyle, said: “Our members have narrowly rejected the pay deal in a ballot of the workforce. We will now be consulting with the Unite reps on the next steps.
“The union won’t be commenting further until these discussions have taken place,” he added.
Molson Coors UK & Ireland began consulting workers over a 90-day period earlier this year over proposed changes to pay and terms and conditions for 455 staff at the Burton site.
In May, 97% of workers balloted voted for strike action in the dispute, although in the event this did not take place, as Unite continued to consult with Molson Coors.
Earlier this year, Molson Coors said it needed to make changes to staff contracts due to a declining beer industry and a challenging economic environment.
In a statement to the Burton Mail yesterday, the brewer said it would continue consulting with Unite to resolve “minor differences” to try and reach a solution.