Beer and soft drink strike averted ahead of Norway’s Constitution Day

A last-minute mediation between Norway’s food and drink workers’ union and employers’ association has prevented a strike that would have disrupted beer and soft drink production just before the 17 May national celebrations, state broadcaster NRK reports.

National mediator Mats Ruland confirmed at 1:45 AM that the two sides—Norsk Nærings- og Nytelsesmiddelarbeiderforbund (NNN) and NHO Mat og Drikke—had reached an agreement. Without a deal, 887 employees at 32 breweries and mineral water plants across Norway, including major brands like Coca-Cola, Ringnes, Grans, Mack, and Hansa, would have walked out.

The union and employers had been in voluntary negotiations since late April before entering state-mediated talks on Wednesday. The deadline for an agreement was midnight before Thursday.

While NHO Mat og Drikke had described the strike risk as real, the parties ultimately secured a compromise, avoiding disruptions to Norway’s traditional 17 May festivities.