FPB steamed up over water ad

THE KNUTSFORD-based Forum of Private Business is all steamed up over an advert for bottled water that it says encourages staff to through ‘sickies’.

The advert for Glaceau Vitamin Water, owned by Coca Cola, said: “If you’ve had to use sick days because you’ve actually been sick, then you’re seriously missing out.

“The trick is to stay perky and use sick days to just, not go in.”

But the small business lobby group does not see the funny side and has instead poured scorn on the ad, saying a company like Coca Cola “should know better”.

It added that it was “unacceptable to encourage workers to throw ‘sickies’ in order to sell a soft drink”, when employee absence costs the UK economy £12bn a year in lost working days.

Coca Cola has responded by saying the advert was “clearly” tongue in cheek.