A lockout of workers at a Caribbean brewery has been temporarily resolved. An agreement to end the lockout at one of the regions breweries was reached yesterday.
Caribbean Development Company Ltd. and Carib Glass locked out their 875 workers on 24 May after negotiations on a new contract broke down. The move has triggered a beer shortage in Trinidad and on other islands.Although the two sides have not yet reached a contract agreement, they have come to a deal to allow workers to return to work on Friday, said union official Marlon O?Brien and company spokesman Allan Herrera. Neither would comment on the specifics of the deal, saying a statement would be released today.
The Caribbean Development Company brews Stag and Carib beers while Carib Glass makes the bottles.
The company has proposed a 12% salary increase, while workers want 17%. Monthly pay ranges from Trinidadian $3,000 (US$500) to TT$7,000 (US$1,200).
The company has also said it wants to be able to do blood tests on workers it suspects have been drinking alcohol on the job. The union objects, saying employees who drink on their day off could fail.
Production fell as low as 40% after the lockout began. Many bars and grocery stores in Trinidad ran out of Carib and Stag beer, forcing customers to buy foreign brews.
The company exports to the Caribbean, Europe and the US.
