Nigeria: Nigerian Breweries Plc was affected by a strike of thousands of factory workers, according to union officials. The strike also has hit some other Nigeria’s leading food and drink companies like Guinness, Nestle and Coca-Cola bottler Nigerian Bottling Company. An official of Nigerian Breweries, a unit of Heineken, confirmed that production at its Lagos plant had been suspended as a result of the industrial action. The workers are demanding better pay. After an ultimatum to employers from the National Union of Foods, Beverages and Tobacco Employees passed without response, the strike began on April 8.

About N4-5 billion per year is spent on imported beer and stout per annum despite the fact that Nigeria's installed capacity is far in excess of the aggregate needs of Nigerians. And that has been the situation since 1986, the golden year of the industry when Nigerians consumed 18.6 million hectoliters of beer and stout before the bottom fell out of the market the following year in response to the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) introduced by Babangida in August of 1986, according to All Africa.com

16 April, 2004