Scottish government fighting to save Diageo jobs
Recent news of significant job cuts by Diageo in Kilmarnock and Port Dundas in Scotland took both the Scottish government and Diageo workers by surprise. With literally hundreds of jobs on the line, as Diageo looks to close down a plant in Scotland and move the business elsewhere, it seems that while governments and MPs grab the headlines with job saving schemes and other initiatives, ultimately large corporations in the UK are in total control.
In what has become something of a political football, at a time when Scottish unemployment continues to rise, the SNP, Labour and Conservative parties are fighting tooth and nail to grab the headlines. Amid accusations that the SNP has not done enough to safeguard these jobs in Kilmarnock and Port Dundas it seems that the mind of Diageo was already made up some time ago. In what many believe to be a losing battle, there are various meetings and initiatives planned over the coming weeks to try and find a compromise agreement acceptable to all parties.
While there is no doubt that the 900 job cuts will cause severe hardship for many across Scotland, do governments really have the right to tell public companies what to do and when to do it?
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