Diageo workers call for Walsh meeting

Angry Diageo workers at the Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock have called for a face-to-face meet with chief executive Paul Walsh.

Last month, Diageo rejected the Scottish Government's alternative business plan to stave off the closure of its Kilmarnock and Port Dundas sites at a cost of 900 local jobs.

"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," the workers said in a letter to Walsh.

"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.

"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."

Walsh has previously said that he is not prepared to put the other 4,000 jobs in Scotland at risk by keeping the either the Kilmarnock plant or the grain distillery in Port Dundas open.