Demise of pubs to blame for job losses
The government must act now to save British pubs to stop the tide of job losses at a Lancashire brewery.
Alan McVann, the GMB union convener at the Inbev brewery in Samlesbury, near Preston, said plans announced last week to shut the kegging line with the loss of up to 78 jobs were a direct result of the demise of pubs.
He said ministers and pub companies had to unite to stem the flood of closures which had led to a slowdown in orders for kegged beer.
But, he said there was hope that a new bottling line could be installed at the site in the next year as Inbev switches operations to bottle Budweiser beer from its London Stag brewery in the South East, which is due to shut in 2010.
Mr McVann said: "Instead of putting all these new restrictions on pubs, they should be doing something to help them.
"The biggest mistake the government has made is the smoking ban.
"It is not just the government, it is these multi-national pub companies which only seem interested in taking rent off landlords, all of this adds up why we are seeing pubs closing left, right and centre.
The closure of the kegging line shows you it is not just pub landlords which suffer."
He said that talks were underway with company bosses as part of a 30-day consultation into shutting the kegging operation but insisted no decision had been reached on the number of job losses.
If 78 jobs are cut, it would leave a workforce of 140 workers.
The convener said: "It will probably mean a change in shift patterns because we are 24/7 at the moment but nothing is set in stone and, as a union, we have to do everything we can to maintain jobs."
A spokesman for Inbev said: "This is not a reflection on the quality of our employees who are an integral part of this process and will be treated with respect throughout."
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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