Free Beer and Ciggies Going, Going…

By Ross Kendall

Wide ranging research shows that workers in the tobacco, alcohol and gaming sectors are susceptible to addiction and abuse.

Employers are responding to union and community pressure and changing some of their old fashioned giveaways.

In kind payments to employees are an ingrained, and arguably sensible, aspect of our workplace culture. Working in a restaurant without getting free meal or two wouldn't be right. However, in industries that supply products with potentially serious health and social consequences, sch as the alcohol, gaming and tobacco industries, workers can be tempted to excess.

Unions and employers have become increasingly aware of such problems. Unions in the alcohol and tobacco industries are in an interesting position, as they do not want to denigrate the industries that provide so much work to members, but they have also been campaigning for restrictions on smoking in bars, for example. Tim Ferrari from the LHMU and Jossi Bergner, from the AWU (who cover tobacco workers) also comment on the dilemmas.

(Ethical Investor, issue 26, September 2003)