AB InBev to cut 10% of its 8,000 remaining European jobs
Not long after selling off its Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) assets to private equity, AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer and producer of beers such as Stella Artois, Becks and Budweiser has today announced its intention to cut 10 % of its Western Europe workforce. The company had recently told EFFAT that after the CEE sale there was no longer any need to make cuts in order to pay off debt from the AB takeover and had announced very positive financial results to investors in November. The company is citing falling beer volumes as its justification for the cuts. About 800 layoffs are planned to be spread across Belgium, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Workers in Belgium were already out on strike today protesting against the move. A joint meeting is planned to take place with shop stewards from the biggest Belgian trade union federations in AB InBev on Monday evening. Simon Cox from the EFFAT Secretariat will be present. German workers’ representatives will also be meeting next week including a planned meeting with AB InBev management on Tuesday.
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