Campaigners have urged festive party goers to boycott Guinness 0.0 as a row over Belfast workers’ pay continues.
Staff at a Diageo packaging plant at Marshalls Road in south Belfast are currently carrying out eight days of strike action in a row over pay.
The Belfast site is among more than 110 manufacturing sites operated by Diageo and is used for specifically packaging Guinness 0.0 products.
Guinness products are brewed in Dublin and then transported to Belfast and England for packaging.
The pay row comes after the company refused to match the wages received by workers in the north with those of their counterparts at the company’s factory in Runcorn, England.
Strike action began earlier this month and the current stoppage is set to continue until December 20.
Diageo has assured customers that it will not lead to a shortage of Guinness 0.0 over the Christmas period.
However, campaigners are urging those enjoying a festive non-alcoholic tipple to take their business elsewhere and boycott Guinness 0.0 in support of the Belfast workers.
West Belfast MLA Gerry Carroll claimed the treatment of workers by the multinational is “disgraceful” and urged drinkers to look elsewhere.
“Ninety workers at this Belfast factory are on strike, demanding equal pay with their English counterparts doing identical work. These workers earn barely above minimum wage, while Diageo reported £1.7 billion in global profits this year, he said.
“Diageo has arrogantly dismissed workers’ legitimate demands as unreasonable, despite having more than enough resources to pay fair wages.
“I stand in solidarity with these workers and urge everyone to refuse to buy Guinness Zero in shops, pubs or bars until Diageo returns to the negotiating table with a fair offer.”
In a statement about the industrial action, a Diageo spokesperson said: “While we are disappointed by the outcome of the ballot for industrial action at our can packaging site in Belfast, we strongly believe that continued engagement is the best way of securing a resolution that recognises employees for their valued contribution, while ensuring the long-term competitiveness of the site.”
