Brulines under fire from unions

Nov 26 2009 by Jez Davison, Evening Gazette

STOCKTON data management firm Brulines has come under fire from unions who accuse it of “bullying” licensees of pub companies.

The AIM-listed firm produces more than one million reports annually on the dispense and delivery volumes of around 23,000 public houses.

However the GMB said it had received “hundreds if not thousands” of complaints from members about the behaviour of Brulines representatives visiting tied pubs, which are forced to purchase products through the brewery rather than on the open market.

According to the GMB, its members say Brulines representatives enter premises “as they please”, take beer without paying for it, and issue “inaccurate” information from “uncertified equipment” resulting in random fines from pubcos.

The GMB has issued a set of guidelines advising licensees to charge Brulines representative up front for using, consuming or disposing of beer and to refuse them service should they decide not to pay.

Paul Clarke, national organiser for GMB, said Brulines was acting as “judge, jury and hangman”.

“We need Brulines made accountable to someone. They draw off several pints and promise a credit note which never arrives.

“They’re a bully boy company employed by the big brewers.”

He also said there was “no verification as to the accuracy” of Brulines equipment, which measures quality indicators of a pint of beer, and called for the equipment to be authorised for use by Trading Standards.

In a statement Brulines hit back, claiming it did not need such approval.

“Following their recent investigation into Brulines, Trading Standards and LACORS (Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services) have concluded that Brulines’ equipment is ... not required to be passed as fit for use in trade.

“This confirmation ... effectively means that under the Weights and Measures Act of 1985, Brulines is not required to have any item of equipment used in this process ‘stamped’.”

Trading Standards upheld Brulines’ view but said the act still required the equipment to be “controlled” and “accurate” for trade use.

David Kitching, Stockton Council’s trading standards and licensing manager, said: “Stockton Trading Standards has, under controlled conditions, tested equipment used by Brulines and found it to be accurate at that time.”

Brulines, which announces its half-year results on Tuesday, remains in talks over a possible buy-out of Universe Group, an AIM- listed electronic payment specialist.