Jobs at risk across Diageo’s distilleries in Scotland

Hundreds of jobs person been enactment astatine hazard of redundancy crossed Diageo's distilleries successful the Scottish Highlands and Islands, according to a section union.

In a connection contiguous (3 August), GMB Scotland said the Laphroaig marque proprietor had enactment 172 distillery unit astatine hazard of redundancy, "and warned 38 could suffer their occupation arsenic portion of a immense planetary redundancy programme".

Following the redundancy process, Diageo intends to chopped 38 jobs, the national clarified to Just Drinks.

In its statement, the national accused the spirits elephantine "of rejecting alternatives to compulsory redundancies and ignoring the hazard to agrarian communities crossed the Highland and Islands".

A four-week consultation process ended past week, the national said.

GMB claimed that "there was nary superior effort to prosecute with workers and nary statement has been reached connected the fig of imaginable occupation losses oregon the redundancy process".

A Diageo spokesperson said: "In February, astatine our Interim Results, we shared our volition to redesign our operating framework, to thrust sustainable returns for shareholders by delivering a much competitory Diageo.

"In the UK, we are inactive successful consultation connected this and nary decisions person been made. We volition ever prioritise informing our colleagues of immoderate organisational changes archetypal and person committed to update shareholders connected our advancement astatine a Capital Markets Day connected 6 August."

Diageo volition denote its full-year results for 2026 the aforesaid time arsenic its Capital Markets Day, this Thursday (6 August).

According to the national GMB, the jobs that person been enactment astatine hazard beryllium crossed Diageo's distilleries successful the Highlands and Islands region, specified arsenic Cardhu, Port Ellen and Dufftown.

Lesley-Anne Macaskill, GMB Scotland organiser successful the Highlands and Islands, said: "We person present had 5 meetings with the institution to sermon its plans but determination has been nary superior effort to prosecute with our members' concerns oregon modify its plans successful immoderate way.

"This has not been a genuine consultation but a box-ticking workout by a institution intent connected steam-rollering done occupation losses to a program that has already been decided.

"The implicit refusal to prosecute with our members' concerns is simply a morally bankrupt betrayal of a skilled, experienced and committed workforce."

The national said it has "formally rejected" Diageo's consultation process and plans to constitute to section politicians crossed the portion "warning of the interaction of the redundancies connected the fragile economies of agrarian communities".

The radical added that consultation connected imaginable redundancies was besides happening astatine Diageo's different production, bottling and organisation sites successful Scotland.