For two weeks in January, Belgian brewery workers blocked roads, set fire to beer crates, kidnapped managers and handed out free beer in protest against job cuts proposed by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer.
The company announced the cuts in spite of profits of US$1.55 billion in the third quarter of 2009.
But the AB InBev beer monopoly appears more interested in profit than workers' rights or even the quality of its beer. Theo Vervloet, the chairman of the Belgian Brewers trade association, said: "AB InBev is thinking on a bigger scale and wants to go for volume rather than quality."
The AB InBev monopoly already controls 25% of the world's beer.
The protests began on January 7 when AB InBev announced it would cut 800 jobs in western Europe, including 299 of its 2700 jobs in Belgium.
Belgium unions viewed such policies as an attack on the rich brewing culture of the country. Belgium is home to more than 125 breweries.
In response, workers set up walls of beer crates at the entrances of the country's three main brewing locations, stopping the regional transport of beer.
RTBF radio said on January 8 that workers at the Belgian Jupiler brewery had taken 10 managers hostage at the plant, demanding an end to lay-offs.
Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Leffe, three of the top beer brands, began to run low on stocks throughout Belgium, as well as in France, Luxembourg and Holland.
AB InBev managers responded with lockouts of workers in various plants.
The workers' strategies were ultimately successful and the blockades were lifted after a compromise was reached on January 22, in which the management agreed to freeze the job cuts.
The workers' victory in Belgium has already inspired other workers in the beer industry to pressure their bosses against cuts.
Following the AB InBev battle, workers at a Belgian Heineken plant took to the streets to protest the elimination of 43 of the 230 jobs at their brewery. Those workers also sealed off entrances to the plant until the bosses backed down on February 2.
[Abridged from TowardFreedom.com. Benjamin Dangl is the co-author, with Chris O'Brien, of the forthcoming book Bottoms Up: A People's Guide to Beer, published by PM Press.]