The workers are protesting at plans by the company to cut 263 jobs. They have been blockading the Leuven plant since 7 January. Such a lengthy stoppage is unusual in recent Belgian industrial history, and lay-offs equal to or greater than those announced by InBev have not led to the same result when announced elsewhere. But InBev is profitable: the latest results showed profits of €3 billion on sales of €27bn. Against that background, unions said, the cutting of so many jobs is “decadent”.

InBev did little to calm matters when it took its case to the courts, hoping to force unions to pay fines for continuing the blockade. It was seen as an escalation of the dispute, and the manoeuvre blew up in the brewer’s face when the court in Liège, where the Jupille brewery is located, refused to accept the company’s demands.

Then, at the end of last week, management announced that picketers would no longer be allowed to use wooden pallets to stoke their fires or to enter the factory for drinks. At press time, the two sides were due to come together for talks.

Other brewers, meanwhile, were ready to take advantage of the gap left by the InBev action. Haacht, which manufactures Primus beer, made plans for a nationwide advertising campaign. According to industry federation Horeca Vlaanderen, two in five cafes have contracts with InBev – in some cases exclusive contracts. But, in the circumstances, that should not prevent them serving other beers while the dispute continues, secretary-general Luc De Bauw said. The problem many smaller brewers face, meanwhile, is time: it takes about a month for a newly-brewed pils to reach drinking quality, making unforeseen production increases impossible.