Staff at Diageo's largest distillery, Cameronbridge in Scotland, will strike for almost three weeks over plans to cut hundreds of jobs as the company responds to a demand slump. Over half of the 200 employees at the site, Europe's largest grain distillery producing Johnnie Walker and Buchanan's whisky, will participate in strikes starting September 28. The layoffs form part of a deep restructuring initiated by new chief Sir Dave Lewis, who aims to trim $1bn in costs over three years.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham criticised Diageo for cutting jobs despite reporting "hundreds of millions in profit". Diageo employs 3,000 people in Scottish distilleries and bottling plants, with three sites already paused indefinitely. The company reported $19.6bn in revenues and a 27% drop in operating profit to $3.2bn last year.

Diageo said the job cuts are necessary to maintain reduced production volumes and protect long-term competitiveness.