7 April 2010: Carlsberg beer strike

On this day in working-class history, the 7th of April.

On the 7th of April 2010, 800 Karlsburg factory workers in Copenhagen, Denmark, walked

out on strike and protested at new management policies to restrict beer drinking at work.

The company's truck drivers joined the strike in sympathy.

The previous week, Karlsburg removed beer quarters from the factory floor, which contained

free beer for workers to drink throughout the day.

Instead, they declared that workers would only be allowed to drink beer in the canteen

at lunch hour.

The strike lasted for five days, but ended in defeat.

However, the following month, workers walked out once again for a pay increase.

The workers may have unknowingly been continuing a tradition from a century before in the US,

when many workers prepared to strike against prohibition of alcohol, declaring, quote, no

beer, no work, end quote.

We have reproduced their original design on items to help fund our work.

Check them out on the link in the show notes.

For sources, maps and all about anniversaries each day, check out the on-this-day section

of our Stories app at Stories.Workingclasshistory.com.

And if you value our work, support us at patreon.com slash work and class history.

Links in the show notes.

The music by Ricardo Arrea.

See you tomorrow.