Brown-Forman ready for Schweppes dispute

By James Atkinson

Brown-Forman is not expecting major delays in the supply of its ready-to-drink range despite a worsening industrial dispute at manufacturer Schweppes.

Schweppes has locked out 150 staff indefinitely from its Tullamarine, Victoria plant, following several weeks of strike action by the United Voice union.

Despite union claims to the contrary, Brown-Forman Australia managing director Marshall Farrer told TheShout the dispute is unlikely to cause any major disruptions to supply of its Jack Daniel's and Southern Comfort RTD range.

"We're certainly aware of [the dispute] and we're in contact with Schweppes," he said.

He said Brown-Forman has sufficient inventory for the lead-up to Christmas, and customers are unlikely to experience any delays.

In a statement released yesterday by Schweppes, the Asahi Group subsidiary said it is seeking flexibility to operate 24 hours a day, six days a week, aligning Tullamarine with its other sites.

But the union claims its members would receive less pay than they do currently under the new shift configurations, despite the additional after-hours and weekend work.