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Efforts to stop Diageo closures | |
(about 9 hours later) | |
Politicians and unions have been meeting to discuss how to persuade whisky giant Diageo not to shut two plants earmarked for closure. | |
Finance Secretary John Swinney chaired a private meeting of the taskforce at St Andrews House in Edinburgh. | |
He said work on proposed alternatives to closure would now be refined and put forward as soon as possible. | |
Diageo proposes to close its Johnnie Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock and the Port Dundas distillery. | Diageo proposes to close its Johnnie Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock and the Port Dundas distillery. |
It says the 900 job losses would be off-set by 400 new posts in Fife. | It says the 900 job losses would be off-set by 400 new posts in Fife. |
Scottish Enterprise, the government's enterprise agency, is co-ordinating efforts to draw up a plan for an alternative to closure. | |
The taskforce has been studying a report by BDO Stoy Hayward, which evaluated Diageo's original plans and has been looking at information on possible alternatives. | |
Range of options | Range of options |
The report will not be made available publicly as it contains commercially sensitive information. | The report will not be made available publicly as it contains commercially sensitive information. |
Mr Swinney said it included a range of options, including Diageo building a smaller bottling plant in Kilmarnock. | |
He said: "The task now is to take the evidence we have received from the consultants to build the alternative proposition, which Scottish Enterprise are now taking forward. | |
"That proposition will be prepared very speedily, based on the evidence and information we have, and taken forward for discussion with Diageo. | |
"The focus of that alternative will be to protect employment at the plants at Port Dundas and Kilmarnock." | |
Diageo has said it would co-operate with the efforts of the taskforce and listen to its conclusions. | |
About 700 jobs would be lost with the closure of the East Ayrshire bottling plant and as many as 200 with the closure of the Glasgow facility. | About 700 jobs would be lost with the closure of the East Ayrshire bottling plant and as many as 200 with the closure of the Glasgow facility. |
The company has said the redundancies would be offset by the jobs it plans to create at its packaging plant in Leven, Fife. | The company has said the redundancies would be offset by the jobs it plans to create at its packaging plant in Leven, Fife. |
It estimates the closure plans should save £20m each year, from an investment of £100m. | It estimates the closure plans should save £20m each year, from an investment of £100m. |
The taskforce is made up of representatives from East Ayrshire Council, Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise, trades unions and local politicians. | The taskforce is made up of representatives from East Ayrshire Council, Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise, trades unions and local politicians. |