Norway’s two largest breweries, Ringnes and Hansa Borg, are affected by the strike and will stop all production from Monday. The same applies to a number of other small and large manufacturers in the same industry. Customers flock to the stores to be on the safe side. At the same time, many from the catering industry are also early to secure enough beer for the coming days. Filling up the warehouse Omar Ali works at Joker on Røa in Oslo and was today one of many in the retail and catering industry who visited Ringes’ outlet at Bryn in Oslo on Monday morning. Omar Ali is not taking the chance of running out. Photo: Christopher Isachsen Sandøy / news – Are you stressed by the strike? – No, it will pass quickly, he says as he eases tray upon tray of beer into a white van. – We were supposed to receive a delivery today, but we missed it, so we just have to pick. The shops are also busy. This is confirmed by Kristine Danielsen, who is a grocer at Rema 1000 Hovenga in Porsgrunn. Kristine Danielsen, who is a merchant at Rema 1000 Hovenga in Porsgrunn. Photo: Veronica Westhrin / news – There are almost a bit of festival trends here now, she laughs. They have had a hectic start to the week. People buy far more beer than usual on a Monday morning. – If people start hoarding, we quickly run out, she says. Securing the 80th birthday celebration At Rema 1000 in the center of Sandefjord, Ove Holter Jørgensen is out early to secure various beverages. He will soon celebrate his 80th birthday and is taking no chances. – I can’t risk not having beer to serve, he smiles, and loads up both beer, light beer and non-alcoholic alternatives in the trolley. FULL CONTROL: Ove Holter Jørgensen is going to celebrate all day, and has decided to secure the drinks in time. Photo: Randi Nørstebø / news He chooses Grans for geographical reasons. The Sandefjords brewery is among those affected by the strike. – I grew up with Grans, and have tasted various types of beer elsewhere, he says. Stein Gåre gets up very early to go to the store and secure drinks from the same brewery as Jørgensen. He has filled the car with drinks. – Today I secured Grans cider, which we drink a lot of, and Grans beer, which is a very good beer. It is certain on the basis that there is a strike. It could be long-lasting, he believes. HOARDING: Stein Gaare fills the car with beer and cider from Grans Photo: Randi Nørstebø / news Now he is hoarding for the next few weeks. – I don’t bother looking for the items I usually buy, so I rather fill up the small stock I have. A couple of months I can manage with this. Will be well marked on the shop shelves and in the pub Around 500 out of 900 employees at Ringnes will go on strike. The company halts all production and delivery of goods and warns that employees who have not been called out on strike will be laid off. At Hansa Borg, 123 workers are going on strike – they too will stop production from Monday morning. This applies at Hansa Brewery, Borg Brewery and CB in Kristiansand. At Aass in Drammen, employees have also gone on strike. LO’s overview of companies that have gone on strike. Here YS writes about his strike action. – Good morale Tom Egil Larsen is secretary of the trade union at Grans in Sandefjord. Together with good colleagues, he is in place in front of the employer’s gates on Monday. – We stand as long as necessary. The morale is good, he says to news. Tom Egil Larsen, secretary of the trade union at Grans in Sandefjord. Photo: Randi Nørstebø / news He registers that people fear empty shelves. – Unfortunately, it is the case that a third party is affected, but we can’t do anything about that. We have to stand up, he continues. Northern Norway’s largest beverage producer is one of the companies affected by the strike. At the Mack beer brewery in Nordkjosbotn in Balsfjord, 49 out of 65 industrial workers have gone on strike. Kim-Arne Olsen in the Norwegian Business and Leisure Workers’ Union, together with colleagues outside Mack’s brewery in Nordkjosbotn in Balsfjord. Photo: Tove Jensen – The will to strike is strong. We are a motivated group, and we understand why we have to strike, says chief shop steward Kim-Arne Olsen in the Norwegian Trade and Entertainment Workers’ Union. He says that it will be felt in production itself that the majority of the employees are on strike. – They only manage to drive half a shift, then it stops itself. What we say is that it is not possible to produce cans or deliver beer to the tanker, he says. According to Mack’s management, they have plenty of goods in stock, so consumers will not be affected by the strike at first.
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