The Heineken boycott

You'll be delighted to learn that I am back with Heineken. No more of that family crap.

Not everyone was delighted with Heineken as an employer. Things were bad enough at their Amsterdam brewery that workers' organisations called for a boycott of Heineken products. at least initially, the boycott didn't apply to the Rotterdam brewery, where conditions were supposedly better.

"The Heineken boycott.
Too late to include it in its entirety, we receive a report of a meeting that yesterday evening H. Spiekman, G. Kerkhof and MA Vlugter, on behalf of the Rotterdamschen Bestuurdersbond, had with one of the directors of the Heineken's Brewery in Rotterdam. Mr. Berkemeijer, with regard to the boycott pronounced in Amsterdam against the Heineken's Brouwerij.

The committee from the R. B. B. asked him, since the conditions at the Rotterdam brewery are better than at the Amsterdam brewery, whether the management would not be inclined to create better conditions in Amsterdam as well.

Mr. Berkemeijer claimed that the facts communicated at the meeting, etc., were wholly untrue, and those of his workmen who had collaborated for the composition or distribution thereof had to leave the factory.

Mr. B. further assured that neither he nor his co-directors would ever tolerate any interference in the affairs between them and their workmen, nor of any association, nor of the Chamber of Labour.

If there were ever grievances, said Mr. B., they are now invariably cleared up. Finally he announced that the management was meeting within a few days; that the facts would then be discussed and, if necessary, the reply of the management published. What he had now said was therefore his personal opinion and not that of the entire management.

The committee announced that, pending the further attitude of the management, it would propose to the Directors' Union to support the boycott."
Het volk: dagblad voor de arbeiderspartij 05-09-1901. 

Trying to boycott just the one Heineken brewery wouldn't have been very practical. For a consumer it would have been impossible to know which brewery had produced a beer. I suppose if you bought a draught Heineken in Rotterdam it most likely came from their plant on the city, but you couldn't be certain.

Beef for Sunday dinner again. Good for me, as it roasts pretty quickly. I wonder if Andrew will be up in time to eat it? 13:30 is a few hours before he usually rises, the lazy git. No question that Alexei will be up. He wouldn't want to miss out on his Yorkshire pudding.