Alex Salmond to march against Johnnie Walker job losses

THE First Minister is to join a demonstration against plans to axe 900 whisky jobs, it was announced today.

Alex Salmond announced his intention to take part when he signed a petition against the job losses in Kilmarnock, which will bear the lion's share of the redundancies.

Mr Salmond also said he will be meeting Diageo chief executive Paul Walsh next Wednesday to argue the case for keeping the jobs.

The drinks giant's international reputation may suffer unless it drops its plan to stop bottling Johnnie Walker whisky in Kilmarnock, according to Mr Salmond.

The Johnnie Walker closure will account for 700 of the threatened 900 Diageo job losses in Scotland – the others will come if the Port Dundas distillery in Glasgow is closed.

Diageo argues that the redundancies would be offset by the creation of 400 jobs at its packaging plant in Leven, Fife.

As Mr Salmond signed the petition today at Kilmarnock Cross, campaigners wore T-shirts proclaiming: "I'm not for Leven Killie" and "Don't walk out on Killie."

East Ayrshire council provost Stephanie Young told the audience: "This town is not going to lie down and let Diageo walk out and take Johnnie Walker with it."

Accepting her invitation to join the demonstration on Sunday July 26, Mr Salmond said the rest of Scotland is "hugely impressed" by the determination of the town to fight against the closure.

"You are supported across this country," he said.

"I will be delighted to accept and I will be back here in Kilmarnock with many others to show a united campaign behind this town."

Later Mr Salmond told reporters he had come to Kilmarnock to show solidarity with the town, which had united against a threatened "jobs catastrophe".

He said: "Kilmarnock is up against it but Scotland is behind Kilmarnock,"

Diageo is committed to examining alternatives, and an alternative strategy will be ready on August 14, Mr Salmond said.

This will be "detailed, precise and present a viable alternative," said the First Minister.

He said he suspected Diageo had wrongly believed the controversy would fade within days of the closure announcement.

"In fact this campaign is gathering momentum and intensity, and is going to result in a huge rally a week on Sunday when I'll be back here to take part in that at the invitation of the provost," said Mr Salmond.

He accepted it was not easy to change the mind of a company the size of Diageo but said it could be done by a combination of presenting a viable alternative and mobilising public opinion.

"If you can do both these things and do them well, that's the best possible chance of sending Diageo homewards to think again," he said.

Diageo will also be considering the effect of the controversy on its worldwide reputation, he said.

"I was interested to hear workers say that their website campaign is already getting a substantial amount of messages from people internationally saying they don't think the workforce of Scotland's most famous product and Scotland's premier brand should be treated in this manner."

Opposition parties have accused Mr Salmond of snubbing workers by not attending a meeting with Paul Walsh.

But the SNP said Mr Salmond could not attend that meeting for logistical reasons.

Today Mr Salmond dismissed the row as "stuff and nonsense".

He said: "I'm not going to go over last week. What appeared was total nonsense.

"I'm meeting Paul Walsh next Wednesday, and that will be a substantive meeting."