Strike action underway at Fife Diageo plant

Workers who are members of the Unite union gathered for a protest at the main gate of the distillery at 5am to coincide with the start of industrial disruption, with pickets taking place throughout the day until 10pm tonight.

Specific groups of workers thereafter will be taking industrial action until October 15 with pickets taking place on each day of strike action.

The Cameronbridge distillery is Europe’s largest grain distillery. The dispute is based on Diageo’s plans to slash hundreds of jobs across its operations in Scotland with dozens of roles under review at Cameronbridge, as part of global restructuring proposals.

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “The company is making hundreds of millions of profit but its management appear hell-bent on causing widespread disruption to its workforce and supplies because of corporate greed.

“That’s completely unacceptable, and we will fight it all the way.”

Unite believes Diageo has failed to properly consult on the job cuts at Cameronbridge, and the company has provided no explanation and minimal detail on the proposed redundancies.

The union has raised further concerns over worker safety and wellbeing due to roles being cut with no proposed reduction in production at the distillery.

Diageo has around 3,000 employees based in distilleries and bottling plants across Scotland. In its latest registered accounts, Diageo Scotland recorded after tax profit of £595m for 2025, and £736m in 2024.

It produces high-profile brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Dougie Maguire, Unite deputy Scottish secretary, added: “Time is up for Diageo.

“The company has refused to properly engage with Unite, despite repeated attempts, and it persists in covering up the true scale of its proposed cuts.”

“We fully expect this period of industrial action to bring production to a standstill and Diageo has only itself to blame.”

A spokesperson for Diageo said: “We are disappointed with the decision to strike. We do not expect any disruption to the availability of our products resulting from this action.

“The proposal to remove up to ten roles at Cameronbridge Distillery is a difficult but necessary step as we maintain reduced production volumes. This approach protects the long-term competitiveness of our business. We remain open to constructive dialogue with our employees and their representatives throughout this process.”