GMB to ballot "thousands" of pubs on industrial action

The GMB union said today it hopes to be in a position to ballot up to 25,000 tied pubs on whether to take industrial action against pubco landlords by the end of January next year.

Paul Maloney, GMB National Officer for tied tenants, said his organisation wanted to secure a reduction in the amount pubs pay their landlord of around £12,000 per pub and industrial action was on the cards.

"The Office of Fair Trading recently concluded that pub lessees were being overcharged by an average of £12,000 a year but said it couldn't act because it was outside the remit of its authority. We don't accept this," he said.

Maloney told The Publican​ the 3,000 tied licensees who were already members of his organisation were fully behind taking action against pubcos and the union had contacted a further 22,000 tenants to get their views on a ballot.

"We are casting the net as widely as possible and we've written to every tied pub in the country," he said. "Publicans can fight as individuals and get picked off by their landlords or they can stand collectively with us."

Maloney added that any ballot in favour of industrial action would see many pubs buying out. "Our members want to stop buying from the pubcos and instead buy from alternative wholesalers who charge a lower price for a barrel of beer," he said.

Such action would inevitably mean participating pubs were breach of their trading agreements and liable to an adverse reaction from their respective landlords, with some tenants possibly losing their pubs as a result.

Maloney said he believed pubcos would "try their hand" to stop pubs from withholding rent or buying out, but claimed that since it was a trade dispute and not a consumer-related issue those pubs taking action would be protected in law.

He also denied suggestions that the union's involvement in the pub sector was part of a drive to recruit members.

"Licensees have approached us and are looking to the GMB for leadership on this issue," he said.

But a source close to one of the large pub companies said the GMB ought to "come clean" about its motives. "This is no more and no less than a recruitment drive to try and get new members.

"As usual the information offered by the GMB is totally inaccurate and dangerously misleading. Joining a union would not alter a publican's legal contract," he added.

The GMB highlighted seven companies whose tenants it was trying to recruit to its cause: Punch Taverns Pub Company, Enterprise Inns, Admiral Taverns, Fuller Smith & Turner, Greene King, Marston's and S&N Pub Enterprises (sic).