UNION members at Chivas Brothers' bottling plant in Dumbarton have accepted an improved offer from the company which ends their threat of strike action at the site.

Members of the GMB union at all of Chivas' Scottish operations voted in May to go on strike in a row over pay.

But the union announced on Friday that its members working for the company have voted overwhelmingly to accept an improved offer from Chivas' parent company Pernod Ricard.

The union says 86 per cent of members who took part in the ballot voted to accept a deal which will see members receive a 2.5 per cent increase on their basic rate of pay for 2021, and a minimum of 2 per cent, or an increase in line with the consumer price index or CPIH, which includes a measure of housing costs, whichever is higher, for 2022.

The union was angry that the Chivas parent company, Pernod Ricard, awarded pay rises to their workers in France for this year, but refused to lift a pay freeze implemented for its Scottish staff as a result of the pandemic.

READ MORE: Union members vote 'decisively' for strike action at Chivas Brothers' Dumbarton site in pay dispute

GMB Scotland organiser Keir Greenaway said: “GMB told Chivas that workers across Scotland couldn’t be the poor relations of the Pernod Ricard family, not after their continuous production throughout this Covid-19 pandemic.

“Chivas have listened to the workers’ voice and our members have now voted to accept an improved offer on their pay and conditions for the next year.

“This will provide some stability in these uncertain times for our members, but rest assured we will continue to campaign and organise to make work better for them.”

Around a thousand staff are based at Kilmalid after the company wound down its Paisley site towards the end of 2020.

The company also runs distilleries in Glasgow and Moray and maturation sites in Clydebank, Speyside and Ayrshire.

Jean Christophe Coutures, chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, said: "We welcome the collective acceptance of our revised pay proposal following the latest ballot vote with Unite Scotland and GMB members.

"Despite the unprecedented business challenges we continue to face as we recover from the impact of COVID-19, we have maintained 100 per cent of jobs and pay throughout the pandemic - and even recruited across our Scottish sites.

"Our newly-agreed offer - which includes guaranteed pay increases in 2021 and 2022 – means we can now move on from the disruption caused by the dispute and refocus our collective efforts on our recovery from the impact of the pandemic and achieving long-term business success."

Unite Scotland has been contacted for comment.

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