Distillery workers strike over redundancies at Diageo

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GMB Scotland members picketed Cameronbridge distillery in Fife on the first of 16 planned strike days after workers accused the company of failing to consult on planned job losses.

Seventy-two distillery operators have been told that 10 of them will lose their job at the plant as part of a global redundancy programme.

Members of GMB and Unite voted for industrial action at the distillery, which makes whisky, gin and vodka.

GMB Scotland organiser Daniel Reid said a seven-hour meeting between unions and management on Sunday only confirmed the company’s failure to seriously engage with workers.

He said: “There has been no genuine attempt to listen to the concerns of workers at any point in this process.

“On Sunday, we detailed a number of proposals with the potential to deliver the savings demanded by the company and every one was rejected out of hand.

“There was no engagement with the concerns of our members and no meaningful discussion of a fairer way forward.”

Mr Reid said the company “clearly had a plan and its idea of consulting is to repeatedly tell workers what that plan is.”

“That is the opposite of consultation and cannot stand,” he said.

“We would urge them to rejoin negotiations and begin listening to the concerns and proposals of their workers.”

The strikes come after GMB members at Diageo distilleries in the Highlands and Islands, where 38 jobs are at risk, voiced concern over the lack of consultation.

A Diageo spokesperson said it was “disappointed” with the strike and remained open to constructive dialogue with employees and their representatives. 

“The proposal to remove up to 10 roles at Cameronbridge distillery is a difficult but necessary step as we maintain reduced production volumes,” they said.

“This approach protects the long-term competitiveness of our business.”