Article content

Diageo has shuttered its Crown Royal bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ont., two days earlier than expected and without notice, a move the workers’ union called a “final show of disrespect.”

Lana Payne, the national president for Unifor whose union represents workers at the facility, slammed the move in a Wednesday news release, saying Diageo was moving jobs to the United States to “appease” President Donald Trump.

Article content

“This is a sad day for our members and for this community, which has a century-long, storied history of whisky making,” Payne said.

The Amherstburg plant was slated to shut down on Friday after Diageo and Unifor reached a closure agreement late last year that provided enhanced severance over what would have been the legal minimum after their deal expired.

Article content

‘Abrupt removal’ of workers ‘unacceptable:’ Unifor

About 160 members of the union were also given the option of leaving their job immediately or staying on until the plant closed.

The union said Wednesday that workers were told during their shift that it would be their last day at the site. While workers were compensated for two unworked days, Unifor said the “abrupt removal” was an “unacceptable way to end their service.”

“It’s clear Diageo didn’t want to face the scrutiny that would have come on the final day of operations, so its overseas executives opted to slink out of Ontario instead,” Unifor Local 200 president John D’Agnolo said.

“Canadians will not forget that Diageo is a company that chose to walk away from a loyal workforce and add insult to injury by bottling a marquee Canadian whisky in America.”

RELATED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play Video

Decision had angered Ontario’s premier

A message seeking a response from Diageo was not immediately returned.

The announcement of the plant’s closure raised the ire of Premier Doug Ford, who had vowed to pull Diageo products from LCBO store shelves in response before the company agreed to $23 million in new investments for the province.

Emails seeking a comment from the premier were not immediately returned.

More to come.

Share this article in your social network