Diageo Press release from Trade Union UNITE

Diageo workers appeal to CEO: tell us to our faces why we're losing our jobs

Anxious and angry workers from the Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock have today (Monday) written to their boss, CEO Paul Walsh, imploring him to meet with them by the end of this month so that he can tell the workforce personally why he is to close their historic plant with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

With Diageo the last major employer in the Scottish town, and with many within the same family set to lose their jobs, the workers want Paul Walsh to explain to them directly by the end of October why he is so committed to plans that will bring certain ruin to the local community.

The workers, all members of Unite, are devastated that Diageo has rejected out of hand an alternative business plan proposed by the trade unions, which would have saved a massive £80 million for the company and led to significant efficiencies on the sites earmarked for closure. Diageo's refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue with the unions over any alternative solution means they are set to force through their plans which will see 900 jobs slashed, the historic Kilmarnock "home of Johnnie Walker" plant shut, the closure of Port Dundas Distillery and Cooperage and further redundancies at Glasgow’s Shieldhall packaging plant

Determined to make Diageo think again and reverse the closure plans, the angry workers have now written to their employer, Paul Walsh, who awards himself a salary in excess of £3.5 million every year, saying:

"We were very disappointed and angry to learn that the company is not prepared to spend any more time examining the trade union alternative business plan and has rejected it as not providing the levels of savings and cost cutting that Diageo is demanding from the Scottish plants. That plan proposed significant savings by reducing the investment required by a massive £80 million, as well as substantial annual savings through reductions in the workforce, improved efficiencies and the offer of changed working practices on all sites. Why is this not enough for you?

"You have said on numerous occasions that the workforce are a most valued asset for Diageo, yet it does not feel like this at all when you are prepared to consign over 900 of us to the dole queue. Many of us have worked for the company for over 30, and in some cases, 40 years with our families before us being part of the tradition that built the Johnnie Walker brand. You made over £2 billion profit this year, yet because you don’t think that’s enough, we will find ourselves out of work with little chance of finding alternative employment. And what hope is there for our children and future generations when the most important employer in Kilmarnock is deserting us?

"We would like to invite you to come to Kilmarnock before the end of October when the consultation process ends so you can meet us and account for the actions and decisions of Diageo. We also want to present you with the petition that has been signed by all your workers and the whole community within Kilmarnock, in the hope that you will change your mind. If we cannot persuade you to think again, at the very least you will be able to explain to us face to face why you believe there is no alternative."

The letter has been sent to CEO Paul Walsh ahead of Diageo's AGM in London later this week (Wednesday, October 14th), when the company is set to reveal another year of staggering profits. A delegation of workers from all sites are set to lobby shareholders as they go into the meeting, asking for their support and urging them to use their influence to get Diageo's management to think again.