# Brewery workers strike over restrictions on drinking at work **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 9, 2010, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506 "2010-04-09T09:06:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/1 "2010-04-09T09:06:14Z")
Or, “whatever happened to Homer’s dream job?” > [@](#): > > Scores of Carlsberg workers walked off their jobs in protest Thursday after the Danish brewer tightened laid-back rules on workplace drinking and removed beer coolers from work sites, a company spokesman said. > > The warehouse and production workers in Denmark are rebelling against the company’s new alcohol policy, which allows them to drink beer only during lunch hours in the canteen. Previously, they could help themselves to beer throughout the day, from coolers placed around the work sites. > > **The only restriction was “that you could not be drunk at work. It was up to each and everyone to be responsible,”** company spokesman Jens Bekke said. > > Carlsberg had mulled a stricter drinking policy for years and finally decided to impose the new rules on April 1, prompting protests from the staff. highlighting is mine [More at USA Today](http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-04-08-carlsberg-beer-drinking-limit_N.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/2 "2010-04-09T10:05:40Z")
So, now they just have to learn how to chug during lunchtime, right? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/3 "2010-04-09T10:12:49Z")
A compromise agreement could be beer pong tables in the lunchroom. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/4 "2010-04-09T11:35:39Z")
You can’t have employees all hopped up at work. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/5 "2010-04-09T13:45:58Z")
They knew trouble was brewing ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/6 "2010-04-09T13:52:52Z")
I knew some brewery workers in Baltimore, MD back in the 70s. They worked at a brewery that had been National Brewing, then became a Carling plant. There was beer on tap in that factory 24/7. Machinery operators, forklift drivers, everybody who wanted to drank all day. I don’t recall when that policy changed. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/7 "2010-04-09T13:56:44Z")
I have visited various manufacturing plants (not breweries) throughout Europe. Having beer available in the canteen (lunchroom) is very common. As an American, it just seemed extremely odd that allowing people that operate large dangerous machinery with moving parts have alcohol on their breaks and at lunch. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/8 "2010-04-09T14:46:12Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > I knew some brewery workers in Baltimore, MD back in the 70s. They worked at a brewery that had been National Brewing, then became a Carling plant. There was beer on tap in that factory 24/7. Machinery operators, forklift drivers, everybody who wanted to drank all day. I don’t recall when that policy changed. I worked at a manufacturing facility in Baltimore (Locust Point) from 1992-1995. Apparently not long before I got there everyone used to go to the little pubs/bars in the neighborhood and get their drink on at lunch. At the time there was no rule against it. When the company started getting more serious about safety that was one of the first things to go. Still was not uncommon to bust some guys for drinking, but at least everyone knew that they weren’t allowed to do so. After work was a different matter, of course. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/9 "2010-04-09T15:00:09Z")
A buddy of mine was an iron worker. He told me that after walking around dozens of stories in the air all morning, many of his coworkers would consume as much alcohol and smoke all through lunch break. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/10 "2010-04-09T20:45:39Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] You can’t have employees all hopped up at work. [/QUOTE] How long have you had that idea bottled up? ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/11 "2010-04-09T21:31:35Z")
I’d be hopping mad if I were one of those workers. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/12 "2010-04-10T21:56:53Z")
Maybe less beer will make the workers less stout. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/13 "2010-04-10T22:46:18Z")
this is yeasterdays news… -.- ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/14 "2010-04-15T10:24:38Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > You can’t have employees all hopped up at work. Or in most of Corporate America, even let them have one beer, at lunch, when the group goes out. I could really see how this worked out; about the only time I saw anyone order alcohol was the woman whose husbands family ran a large local chain of motor supply stores, and she soon left to work there. But she hadn’t decided to do so at the time. Yes, I know, it’s not normal to want alcohol in the middle of the day, but with a better than ordinary lunch you do want it sometimes, if you drink. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/15 "2010-04-15T10:43:57Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > I have visited various manufacturing plants (not breweries) throughout Europe. Having beer available in the canteen (lunchroom) is very common. As an American, it just seemed extremely odd that allowing people that operate large dangerous machinery with moving parts have alcohol on their breaks and at lunch. > [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > I know, it’s not normal to want alcohol in the middle of the day, but with a better than ordinary lunch you do want it sometimes, if you drink. In much of Europe, having a glass of wine or a beer with lunch is normal. Take into account that in many European countries it’s the largest meal of the day, too. Having a beer with a one-egg omelette (dinner) would be more likely to give someone a buzz than having it with a plate of spaghetti-and-meatballs followed by a steak, one apple and a thick slice of cheese (lunch). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/16 "2010-04-15T12:36:22Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Yes, I know, it’s not normal to want alcohol in the middle of the day And with that, my hopes for normalcy were dashed.☹ ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/17 "2010-04-15T13:28:38Z")
AFAIK no one goes out to lunch on a regular basis where I work now, but drinking at lunch wasn’t at all unusual a few years ago, at least in the engineering/manufacturing industry. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brewery-workers-strike-over-restrictions-on-drinking-at-work/535506/18 "2010-04-15T23:29:38Z")
This new policy must leave a bitter taste.