SNP MSPs COMMENT ON DIAGEO ANNOUNCEMENT

DIAGEO DECISION WILL DEVASTATE KILMARNOCK

DISAPPOINTMENT OVER PORT DUNDAS DECISION

SNP MSPs Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock & Loudoun) and Bob Doris (Glasgow) have commented on the announcement made by Diageo today that they will press ahead with cutting up to 900 jobs at its Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock and Port Dundas distillery in Glasgow.

Kilmarnock SNP MSP Willie Coffey said Diageo’s decision to go ahead with the closure of Johnnie Walker plant, with the loss of 700 jobs in the town, will devastate Kilmarnock.

Mr Coffey condemned the decision which ends a 200 year link between Johnnie Walker and Kilmarnock, the town where it was founded.

He welcomed reassurances from John Swinney that the taskforce will be reconvened to discuss a response to the closure and the economic future for Kilmarnock.

Mr Coffey said:

“This is a devastating blow for an intensely loyal workforce in Kilmarnock.

"Kilmarnock is an integral part of Johnnie Walker Whisky, without its Kilmarnock roots there is no Johnnie Walker.

"When Diageo are making billions of pounds of profits it simply beggars belief that they would shut down plants and sacrifice workers.

“Diageo are ignoring the pleas of tens of thousands of people and customers who do not want Johnnie Walker to walk away from Kilmarnock.

“To reject completely out of hand the proposals developed by Scottish Enterprise, East Ayrshire and all parties casts doubt on Diageo’s willingness to listen in the first place.

“It has been clear throughout the last few months that they had no real intention of listening to any alternative plan.

“Diageo have behaved shamefully throughout this process.

“If they are now to walk away from Killie, Diageo owe it to the town and the workers to contribute to the regeneration of the area and the creation of new jobs.

“I welcome John Swinney’s commitment to Kilmarnock, the Scottish Government has stood by the workers throughout and that commitment has not gone unnoticed.

“No one wants to face a future in Kilmarnock without Johnnie Walker – but we must now work together ensure that future is as bright as possible.”

Glasgow MSP Bob Doris also expressed his disappointment at Diageo’s decision to close the Port Dundas distillery.

The closure could mean the loss of 200 jobs in the city and comes despite a cross party campaign to preserve the jobs and intense efforts by the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise to present an alternative plan for Diageo.

Mr Doris said:

“With profits of £2.5 billion last year it will be difficult for workers to understand why Diageo are closing plants and losing jobs.

“Workers at Port Dundas have shown real commitment to Diageo and there will be deep disappointment that Diageo have reached this devastating decision.

“The efforts of the campaign, the trade unions and the Diageo taskforce to put forward an alternative proposal which had cross party support have shown the Government’s clear commitment to Glasgow’s jobs.

“We must now move quickly to plan for those redundancies and to ensure alternative employment and support is put in place straight away.”

SUPPORT FOR HOUSE BUILDING PAYS OFF

SNP MSP Bob Doris has today welcomed official figures showing a record number of public sector affordable homes were built in the last year.

The figures show that nearly 5,000 affordable homes were built last year by housing associations or local authorities.

The Scottish Government brought forward £100 million of investment in affordable housing last August to help the construction industry through the downturn. In addition £50 million has been made available to local authorities for new council house building.

SNP MSP Bob Doris said;

“The impact of the recession on private developers is clear but today's figures show the record funding from the Scottish Government to housing associations and councils has helped to ease the pressure on the construction industry.

"With private sector home builders pulling back because of the recession it was essential investment in affordable housing by councils and housing associations could fill the gap.

"The SNP Government acted quickly last August to bring forward £100 million of housing investment to support our construction industry through tough times and while this recession still has a long way to go this pubic sector support has clearly helped to ease the impact on the housing industry.

Commenting on a fall in right to buy sales Mr Doris added;
“It is encouraging to see that public sector housing stock is staying in public hands. The reform of right to buy has had some impact.

“It is now essential that to continue encouraging local authorities and housing associations to build and invest in new affordable homes we bring an end to the right to buy on all new builds.”

DIAGEO PLAN "GOOD FOR KILMARNOCK AND GOOD FOR GLASGOW"

SUPPORT FOR PORT DUNDAS WELCOMED - KILMARNOCK MSP PRAISES CO-OPERATIVE EFFORTS

SNP MSPS Bob Doris and Willie Coffey have given further reaction to the Diageo taskforce's proposal to save jobs across Scotland.

The inclusion of Port Dundas distillery in the alternative business proposal has been welcomed by Glasgow MSP Bob Doris who chaired a meeting of trade unions, Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow council to ensure a future for Port Dundas was included in the proposals.

SNP MSP for Kilmarnock Willie Coffey has today praised the efforts of all involved in producing the plan.The proposals will now be put to Diageo.

Mr Doris said;

"I am pleased that the proposal agreed by Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Government and both local authorities includes plans to retain production at Port Dundas.

"The Finance Secretary has been clear from the start that this was about securing as many Diageo jobs in Scotland as possible and the support he has shown for Port Dundas is a real boost to this campaign."

Willie Coffey, the Kilmarnock MSP added;

"The next few weeks will be crucial in this fight and it is essential that across the country and across parties we retain the united front that has demonstrated so clearly to Diageo that the public are opposed to this plan.

"In particular the support of the work force across Diageo has been tremendous.

"Along side the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, East Ayrshire Council have worked hard and all have played a blinder in producing a plan that can keep Johnnie Walker in Kilmarnock - if Diageo will accept this proposal.

"This plan is good for Kilmarnock and Glasgow, good for Diageo and will be good for the whole of Scotland."

DORIS WELCOMES DIAGEO MEETING

Commenting on today's meeting in Glasgow between politicians and trade unions as part of the campaign to retain Diageo jobs in Glasgow and Kilmarnock SNP MSP Bob Doris said;

"This was a useful meeting that ensured all those taking part in the campaign remain united in our opposition to Diageo's plans.

"There was firm support for the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise's efforts to produce an alternative business plan.

"That plan is underway and it was good to hear that progress is being made. Everyone was determined to maintain a positive attitude and to work together to put the best proposal possible to Diageo.

"This campaign will only succeed if all parties, trade unions, the Government and Enterprise agencies continue to work together."

MSP QUERIES UK GOVERNMENT'S YOUTH EMPLOYMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

Commenting on today's UK government announcement about funding for youth employment SNP MSP Bob Doris, a member of the Scottish Parliament's Local Government and Communities Committee said:

"Whilst any additional funding to create new jobs in Scotland is welcome the numbers being created in comparison to those being announced south of the border raises questions.

"2,838 posts in Scotland compared to 47,000 UK-wide does not look like Scotland is getting its share by any means. Perhaps Jim Murphy can explain this apparent discrepancy."

FOOTBALL FOCUS TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR DIAGEO JOBS

A friendly football match between Kilmarnock and Partick Thistle tomorrow will become the focus for support for whisky workers threatened with job losses by Diageo as two SNP MSPs prepare to campaign on behalf of the workers.

The two teams are the local teams for the two plants where workers jobs are threatened – Johnnie Walker in Kilmarnock and the Port Dundas Distillery in Glasgow. SNP MSPs, Willie Coffey for Kilmarnock and Loudoun and Glasgow’s Bob Doris, will both be helping raise awareness of the campaign for jobs at both plants.

Commenting before the match at Rugby Park in Kilmarnock local MSP Willie Coffey, who will be collecting names for a petition he initiated and which has already broken 11,000 online, said:

"The response to Sunday’s march was already a reflection of the response to the petition I initiated. It showed the level of concern about Diageo's plans.

"Equally I am sure this football match will become a focus of protest against Diageo’s decision. It will give local people in Kilmarnock and Glasgow the chance to show Diageo what they think of their decision to close down nearly two centuries of tradition.

"The message that Diageo seems to have forgotten is that customers across the world DO value Johnnie Walker's close connection with Kilmarnock.

“They may have lost sight of the value of this but an increasing number of customers across the world are giving Diageo the message - keep Johnnie Walker in Kilmarnock and keep Port Dundas distillery open in Glasgow.

“I would urge fans old and new to come along and support both clubs tomorrow night and to also show their support for Kilmarnock and Glasgow’s whisky workers.”

Mr Bob Doris, who suggested that the football match would be an excellent focus in the campaign and will be helping trade unions leaflet the fans, said:

"Both Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock football clubs have shown a great commitment and determination to help their communities retain the jobs threatened by Diageo at Johnnie Walkers in Kilmarnock and the Port Dundas distillery in Glasgow.

“This pre-season friendly between both clubs is an ideal opportunity for fans to turn out in significant numbers for the match and take a united stand against Diageo's plans.

"It would be good to see people that have not been to a game for a while, or even first timers, make the effort to attend. Having spoken to both GMB and UNITE unions I know that the workers and the Unions would very much appreciate this.

“I hope others from Glasgow will make the trip through in a show of solidarity. Having spoken to the Jags Trust (Partick Thistle's supporters trust) they are certainly keen for as many from Glasgow to make the trip through to Kilmarnock.

"I know the Unions will be out in force at the game and fans will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their support."

EFFORTS FOCUSSED ON DIAGEO JOBS

Two meetings today put the emphasis firmly on alternative proposals to save Diageo jobs.

SNP MSP Bob Doris convened a meeting of Scottish Enterprise along with GMB and Unite representatives and Glasgow City Council to begin discussions on alternative proposals to retain Diageo operations as the Port Dundas site.

SNP MSP for Kilmarnock Willie Coffey will tonight join high level discussions to be led by Finance Secretary John Swinney as all parties focus on alternative business proposals.

Following this morning's Glasgow meeting held at Partick Thistle FC near Port Dundas SNP MSP Bob Doris who chaired the meeting said;

“This meeting gave those representing Port Dundas the chance to hear from Scottish Enterprise what steps they will be taking over the coming weeks and to begin discussions on an alternative proposal.

"Trade unions, politicians and the local authorities in both Glasgow and East Ayrshire are united in fighting Diageo's job cuts across Scotland and I was pleased to see union representatives from Kilmarnock join their Glasgow colleagues this morning.

"This morning was a key step in bringing together the fight to secure jobs at Port Dundas and identifying key issues in this campaign. Tonight's meeting in Edinburgh chaired by John Swinney is another step toward an alternative proposal that will halt Diageo's determination to close these plants.

SNP MSP Willie Coffey, who will attend tonight's summit meeting with Finance Secretary John Swinney said;

"Tonight's meeting demonstrates the unified campaign against Diageo's disastrous plans and I welcome the absolute commitment of everyone involved to the workforce in Kilmarnock and in Glasgow.

"Diageo have said they will listen and despite their apparent determination to close the sites we must take full advantage of that opportunity.

"The efforts of trade unions and politicians are being matched by an outpouring of public support in both Glasgow and Kilmarnock with local communities and international drinkers of Johnnie Walker registering their support.

"There should be no doubt that the workers and campaigners at Johnnie Walker will not let this plant close without a fight and that while Diageo might be big they will never be bigger than Johnnie Walker and its connection to Kilmarnock."

MSP JOINS DIAGEO PETITION LAUNCH

KILMARNOCK MSP WARNS DIAGEO AGAINST SCOTCH "SACRIFICE"

SNP MSP Bob Doris will join the GMB Union and MSPs from other parties to launch a petition against the closure of Diageo’s distillery at Port Dundas today.

The Glasgow MSP is also due to hold discussions with management and trade unions over the future of the plant.

Speaking ahead of the petition launch Mr Doris said;

“It is essential that as in Kilmarnock we have a united front in Glasgow to fight for jobs at Port Dundas. The efforts of the Trade Unions to bring everyone together shows the spirit and resilience that will secure jobs at this distillery.

“Employees at Port Dundas have gone out of their way to support Diageo in the past - the company’s decision to jettison employees who have worked hard to build and maintain the industry is utterly outrageous.

“If Diageo continue to shut down facilities and break the link between Scotch Whisky and its Scottish heritage it is the company that will ultimately suffer.”

Following reports in todays Daily Record that Diageo had already lodged a planning application for the Kilmarnock site SNP MSP for Kilmarnock Willie Coffey has today confirmed that the application has been withdrawn. He is also seeking assurances from Diageo that no planning applications will be lodged for any sites affected by their proposals while alternative proposals are put together.

Mr Coffey spoke out today over the damage Diageo will do to Scotch Whisky if it continues to pursue its current strategy of consolidation.

Mr Coffey said;

“East Ayrshire Council has confirmed that the planning application from Diageo has been withdrawn. Diageo’s actions in the run up to this announcement are increasingly questionable and their attitude to any future discussions is of much concern.

"I am contacting Diageo to ensure they make no further applications for any of the sites proposed for closure under the restructuring announcements

“Paul Walsh’s strategy appears to be all about short term value and nothing about the long term value of Scotch whisky as a leading premium product.

“Much as the actions of a small few at banks like RBS threatened the long standing reputation of Scottish banking, so the actions of Diageo who seem determined to cut the historical ties and values of their brands risks leading Scotch Whisky down the wrong road.

“Sacrificing Scotch Whisky’s premium value as a drink made, produced and bottled in Scotland in the interests of short term profits will only damage this essential industry.”

DIAGEO CAMPAIGN PICKS UP SPEED

COFFEY RAISES CONCERN OVER HURLFORD WORKERS

Willie Coffey and Bob Doris have continued their campaign to keep the Diageo facilities in Kilmarnock and Port Dundas open.

Kilmarnock MSP Willie Coffey today met with trade union representatives at the Johnnie Walker plant and is writing to Diageo seeking a review of the timescales in which they plan to transfer workers from the Hurlford consolidation warehouse in Ayrshire to Malcolms, an external company.

The online petition launched by Mr Coffey has now reached over 4,000 signatures with at least 2,000 more collected locally and more people signing up by the minute.

Mr Coffey said;

"I met with the trade unions and employees this morning as I did last week when the news came through. Even though they are still in a state of shock, their commitment to a positive campaign to reverse this decision is impressive.

"This is not just about the Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock.

"Of immediate concern is the fate of those workers at Hurlford that Diageo wish to transfer out of the company.

"I have real concerns about the way in which Diageo are looking to transfer these staff and the timescales they are using and will be raising these concerns with the management at Diageo."

"The support that has been received from the Scottish Government, the council and the local community and the willingness of all those involved to work together to make Diageo see sense is essential to turning this disastrous decision round.

"With the petition reaching new heights people across Ayrshire, Scotland and around the world are sending a clear message to Diageo that the Johnnie Walker plant must stay at Kilmarnock and stay open."

SNP MSP for Glasgow Bob Doris who will meet Diageo at Port Dundas this week said;

“I have been in touch with the Scottish Government today and will be meeting Diageo this week to put the case for Port Dundas to remain open and to ensure those working at Port Dundas receive proper treatment from the company.

"It is vital that in Glasgow as in Kilmarnock the battle to keep Diageo jobs is fought as a united front across all parties working with the trade unions, the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and the Local council to secure Glasgow and Scotland’s jobs.”

SNP GOVERNMENT TO INCREASE PROTECTION FOR HOMEOWNERS FACING REPOSSESSION

SNP MSP for Glasgow Bob Doris has today welcomed the announcement from the Scottish Government that they are to take forward the recommendations from an independent working group tasked with looking at how to further support those faced with repossession.

The working group, which was set up in January 2009, has set out a range of recommendations which will now be taking forward by the Scottish Government. The main recommendations include:

· Legislation to ensure that the protection available through the Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Act 2001 applies in all repossession cases, instead of just those where the home owner defends the action

· Legislation to require lenders to show that they have considered every reasonable alternative to repossession, and to ensure that the courts consider the extent to which they have done so when deciding on repossessions cases

Commenting, Bob Doris MSP said:

“With this recession Scots all over the country are concerned about the repossession of their homes and it is our duty as politicians and legislators to ease those fears.

“I was pleased that the Scottish Government acted quickly by forming this panel of experts to look as the best way forward. It is fantastic news that the Government is to act on these proposals.

“By acting on these proposals, such as legislating to ensure protection available through the Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Act 2001, together we can work to avert repossessions in these difficult economic times.”