Employees at Whyte & Mackay are scheduled to vote on a revised offer from the Scotch distiller this week following a series of negotiations.
In a statement, the owner of The Dalmore whisky brand said: “We can confirm that our trade union partners have now confirmed their proposals for planned industrial action, starting late June.
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“However, the company met together with representatives from each union for further negotiations this week. We have subsequently submitted a revised offer which is being considered by members.
“It is our hope that the offer is acceptable. In the meantime we have prepared plans to mitigate the impact to suppliers and customers should industrial action take place.”
Trade union GMB Scotland, which has been in talks with the whisky maker over the wage proposals, told Just Drinks it has recommended that its members reject the offer. It declined to provide more details on what Whyte & Mackay had proposed.
In a statement, Lesley-Anne MacAskill, GMB Scotland organiser for the Scottish Highlands, said: “We have received a revised offer from Whyte & Mackay which our members at all three distilleries will now vote on.
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By GlobalData“We do not believe this offer fairly reflects the value of their skills, experience and commitment.
“If the offer is rejected by our members, their industrial action will proceed as planned.”
If Whyte & Mackay’s offer is rejected, employees will down their tools on 24 June, 11 days in July and an additional two weeks in August.
Last month, employees “overwhelmingly” backed a walkout across three of its Dalmore and Invergordon distilleries Easter Ross, and Tamnavulin in Speyside.
Union members were reportedly offered a 6-7% wage rise, which GMB called “an insult”, given it did not match inflation and was “effectively a pay cut”.
Workers first voted on strike action at Whyte & Mackay’s Dalmore and Invergordon sites in February, after rejecting a salary increase offer ranging “between 5% and 6%”, according to GMB Scotland at the time.
