Brewdog avoid the obvious way forward
Brewdog are on the front page of the BBC website today:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57428258
Its not a story that shows the owners of the Company in a good light but if beer writers are Boak and Bailey are right they wont feel too concerned. They have suggested on Twitter that Brewdog is about getting the brand name known widely and the story certainly helps with that.
The story in case you missed it is that a considerable number of ex-Brewdog employees have made a public statement about a culture of fear. Punks With Purpose @PunksWPurpose have posted the statement on social media.
Brewdog and James Watt have responded not by refuting the allegations. Rather Watt claims there are two sides to every story and has asked current Brewdog employees to sign up to a statement saying that the Company is a good employer. If they don’t agree they can of course raise issues with Watt….
I reposted details of a 2020 Private Eye investigation into the finances and structure of Brewdog earlier which has attracted considerable interest.
I also posted a piece on why craft beer needs to be unionised. I post this from time to time (suitably tweaked) when issues arise, as they seem to do quite frequently.
The post never attracts much interest. As a union officer in a highly unionised private sector environment I well understand why. Even there not everyone feels comfortable on speaking out about ‘the union’. In a Company that doesn’t recognise unions there is a fear factor. Speaking out can lead to losing your job. I don’t know if Brewdog would do that btw, it’s a general point. It is actually illegal but it still happens frequently.
When Brewdog sent staff its statement there was another, far better way to act. Nearly all large companies carry out staff surveys. Most make efforts to ensure they are confidential(i.e no names). Obviously there are limits but in unionised workplaces the survey and outcomes are shared and discussed with unions which gives those filling it in some degree of confidence.
The question which needs to be asked of Brewdog, is given the events of the week, what exactly is your problem with recognising a trade union to provide a proper framework for employee relations and provide agreed ways of making sure that James Watt & Co hear things they don’t want to hear, but within the Company not on twitter?
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