Under The Counter had just about recovered from the possibility of a (now averted) Tetley strike threatening his morning cuppa when news of further industrial unrest nearly brought on one of the Auld Boy’s funny turns.
It is now the workers at Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate who are about to bring Britain to its knees – by causing a shortage of that festive favourite, Ferrero Rocher.
The business is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of cocoa products, including to confectionery giant Ferrero, and staff are set to walk out in a dispute over pay.
GMB union man Cameron Mitchell wasn’t kidding when he said: “The spectre of Christmas without this beloved yuletide treat would be devastating.”
Revealing a way with words that extends beyond shouting, “Down tools, brothers and sisters,” Mitchell added: “Workers aren’t demanding gold-wrapped pay-outs, instead they’re asking for a pay packet that covers the bills.”
Under The Counter has stared down the barrel of a number of confectionery-based crises over the years – most notably when he sat on a Mars Bar he’d slipped into a hip pocket on one of the hottest days ever recorded – so he took the news with a certain degree of stoicism.
Paraphrasing Ferrero Rocher’s classic 1993 TV ad, he even managed to quip, albeit with a tremor in his voice: “Monsieur, with these strikes, you are really spoiling our Christmas.”
