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Irn-Bru producer AG Barr said it believed it had made a fair and competitive pay offer to its drivers and so it was “disappointed” that 11 have now gone out on strike at its Cumbernauld depot.

It added that contingency plans were in place to avoid disruption to its services.

The Unite union claimed the soft drinks company had offered a real terms pay cut to its trucker and shunter drivers and strikes will take place between now and 6 October.

A continuous ban on overtime also came into effect this week.

Talks took place via ACAS but the union said AG Barr had refused to move beyond a 5% pay offer to drivers this year.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “AG Barr can afford to pay its trucker and shunter drivers far more than the penny-pinching pay cut currently on offer.

“The drivers are absolutely essential to supplies, including Irn-Bru. The company is cash rich with £52.9m chilling in the bank. We will back our members all the way in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”

Unite’s industrial officer Andy Brown added that its members were left with no option but to strike: “The 24-hour strike action will be the first of nine stoppages over the coming weeks.

“AG Barr’s stinginess has escalated this dispute when it could have been easily resolved with a fair pay offer.”

A spokesman for AG Barr said: “We’re disappointed in the decision by 11 of our Scottish based HGV drivers, represented by Unite the union, to take industrial action.

“We made a pay offer that we believe is fair and competitive - in line with what has been agreed with our other employees.

“We believe we have a responsibility to be fair to everyone. We have contingency plans in place to maintain customer service and we will continue to work with Unite representatives and ACAS to find a positive and constructive resolution.”

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