Booze bosses face job cuts inquiry

Published on Friday 12 March 2010 16:32

THE LEADERS of drinks company Diageo are to face questions over the firm's decision to shed 900 staff in Scotland.

Bryan Donaghey, the company's managing director in Scotland, and Whyte and Mackay chief executive John Beard will be asked to explain the job cuts to the Scottish Parliament's Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee.

The drinks giant announced last year that it would close the Johnnie Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock with the loss of 700 jobs and shed a further 200 staff in Glasgow.

"There have been widespread job losses and plant closures in some parts of the industry and there are more uncertain times ahead," said committee convener Iain Smith.

"The restructuring processes which began last year are still ongoing, as are their effects.

"The committee is keen to get a grasp of the current situation, to bring together the industry's key players to hear first-hand about the ups and downs of recent months and to assess the way ahead."

A high-profile campaign was mounted to save the Diageo jobs, with First Minister Alex Salmond joining thousands of protesters to march through Kilmarnock last July.

Diageo later rejected a a Scottish Government-backed proposal as an alternative to closing the bottling plant and a grain distillery in Glasgow.